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WE    BID   JACK   FAREWELL. 


Page  7. 


PETER    TRAWL; 


FHE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    WHALER. 


BY 

W.  H.  G.  KINGSTON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  THREE  MIDSHIPMEN,"  "CLARA  MAYXARD," 
"HENDRICKS  THE  HUNTER,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


farfc; 
A.  C.  ARMSTRONG  AND  SON, 


714,  BROADWAY. 

MDCCCLXXXII. 


STACK 
ANNEX 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PACK 

I.    MY   EARLY   DAYS   AT   HOME        ,  .  .  .1 

II.    HOW   A   TRUE   FRIEND   WAS   GAINED  .  .       IO 

III.    A   SAD   CHAPTER    IN    MY   LIFE  .  ...  .23 

IV.    A    FEARFUL   CATASTROPHE          .  .  .  •       33 

V.   A   FRIEND    LOST   AND   A    FRIEND    GAINED  .  .      42 

VI.   TURNED    OUT   OF    HOUSE   AND    HOME  .  .       5 1 

VII.    HELP   COMES   WHEN    LEAST   EXPECTED        .  .       60 

VIII.    MY    FIRST   VOYAGE  ......       73 

IX.    I    EXPERIENCE   THE   PERILS    OF   THE   SEA  .      86 

X.    ALONE    ON   THE   OCEAN     .  .  .  .  .98 

XI.    DANGERS    MULTIPLY  .  .  .  .  .    IIO 

XII.    PORT    REACHED    IN   AN    UNEXPECTED    MANNER.    121 

XIII.  A   DISASTROUS   VOYAGE     .  .  .  .  .132 

XIV.  JIM   AND    I    CARRIED   OFF   AGAINST   OUR   WILL.    144 
XV.    THE   VOYAGE   OF   THE    "  INTREPID  "    BEGUN        .    155 

XVI.    WE   CROSS   THE    LINE  AND   ATTEMPT   TO  ROUND 

CAPE   HORN  .  .  .  .  .  .166 

XVII.    ROUNDING   CAPE   HORN 178 

XVIII.    OUR    FIRST    WHALES    CAUGHT — I    HEAR    NEWS 

OF  JACK 189 

xix.  MILES  SOPER'S  NARRATIVE  CONCLUDED  .        .  200 

XX   .    A    MUTINY   AND    ITS    CONSEQUENCES  .  .212 


iv  Contents. 

CHAP.  PAGK 

XXI.   A   CRUISE  ACROSS  THE    PACIFIC   AND    THE    AD- 
VENTURES  I   MET  WITH         .  .  .  .225 
XXII.   A  TYPHOON,   AND   HOW  WE    GOT    THROUGH    IT   237 

XXIII.  A   FEARFUL  NARRATIVE — DOINGS    AT    STRONG'S 

ISLAND          .......    249 

XXIV.  OUR   LIFE   ON  AN    UNINHABITED   ISLAND.  .    261 
XXV.    A   PERILOUS   VOYAGE   IN   THE  WHALEBOAT           .    274 

XXVI.   MORE   STARTLING  ADVENTURES          .  .  .    286 

XXVII.   THE   LOST   ONE   FOUND   AT  LAST       .  .  .    298 

XXVIII.    ESCAPE    FROM    THE    ISLAND   AND    THE    EVENTS 

WHICH    FOLLOWED 310 

XXIX.    ON     BOARD     OUR     OLD     SHIP  —  HER     VOYAGE 

THROUGH   EASTERN   SEAS      .  *.  .  .323 

XXX.   THE  VOYAGE   HOME,   AND   HOW   IT  ENDED          .    337 


CHAPTER  I. 
MY  EARL  Y  DAYS  AT  HOME. 

BROTHER  JACK,  a  seaman's  bag  over  his  shoulders, 
trudged  sturdily  ahead ;  father  followed,  carrying 
the  oars,  spars,  sails,  and  other  gear  of  the  wherry,  while 
as  I  toddled  alongside  him  I  held  on  with  one  hand  to  the 
skirt  of  his  pea-jacket,  and  griped  the  boat-hook  which  had 
been  given  to  my  charge  with  the  other. 

From  the  front  of  the  well-known  inn,  the  "  Keppel's 
Head."  the  portrait  of  the  brave  old  admiral,  which  I  always 
looked  at  with  awe  and  admiration,  thinking  what  a  great 
man  he  must  have  been,  gazed  sternly  down  on  us  as  we 
made  our  way  along  the  Common  Hard  of  Portsea  towards 
the  water's  edge. 

Father  and  Jack  hauled  in  the  wherry,  and  having 
deposited  their  burdens  in  her,  set  to  work  to  mop  her  out 
and  to  put  her  to  rights,  while  I  stood,  still  grasping  the 
boat-hook,  which  I  held  upright  with  the  point  in  the 
ground,  watching  their  proceedings,  till  father,  lifting  me 
up  in  his  arms,  placed  me  in  the  sternsheets. 

"Sit  there,  Peter,  and  mind  you  don't  topple  overboard, 
my  son,"  he  said,  in  the  kind  tone  in  which  he  always  spoke 
to  me  and  Jack. 

I  was  too  small  to  be  of  much  use,  indeed  father  had 
hitherto  only  taken  me  with  him  when  he  was  merely  going 
across  to  Gosport  and  back  or  plying  about  the  harbour. 

i 


2  Ptter   Trawl. 

It  was  a  more  eventful  day  to  Jack  than  to  me.  When 
I  saw  mother  packing  his  bag,  I  had  a  sort  of  idea  that  he 
was  going  to  sea,  and  when  the  next  morning  she  threw  htr 
arms  round  his  neck  and  burst  into  tears,  and  Jack  began 
to  cry  too,  I  understood  that  he  would  be  away  for  a  long 
time. 

Jack  had  been  of  great  use  to  father,  who  grieved  as 
much  as  mother  to  part  with  him,  but,  as  he  said,  he 
wouldn't,  if  he  could  help  it,  bring  him  up  as  a  long-shore 
lubber,  and  a  few  voyages  would  be  the  making  of  him. 

"  He  can't  get  none  of  the  right  sort  of  eddication  on 
shore,"  observed  father.  "He'll  learn  on  board  a  man-of- 
war  what  duty  and  discipline  mean,  and  to  my  mind  till  a 
lad  knows  that  he  isn't  worth  his  salt." 

The  Lapwing  brig-of-war,  fitted  out  at  Sheerness,  had 
brought  up  at  Spithead,  and  her  commander,  Captain 
Rogers,  with  whom  father  had  long  served,  meeting  him 
on  shore,  and  hearing  that  he  had  a  son  old  enough  to  go 
to  sea,  offered  to  take  Jack  and  look  after  him. 

When  Commander  Rogers  was  a  midshipman,  he  fell 
overboard,  and  would  have  been  drowned  had  not  father 
jumped  in  and  saved  him.  He  was  very  grateful,  but  had 
not  till  now  had  an  opportunity  of  practically  showing  his 
gratitude.  Father,  therefore,  gladly  accepted  his  offer, 
being  sure  that  he  would  do  his  best  for  Jack ;  and  as  Blue 
Peter  was  flying  from  the  masthead  of  the  brig,  thqre  was 
no  time  to  be  lost  in  taking  him  on  board. 

At  the  time  I  was  too  young,  as  I  was  saying,  to  under- 
stand these  matters,  but  I  learnt  about  them  afterwards. 
All  I  then  knew  was  that  brother  Jack  was  going  for  a 
sailor  aboard  of  a  man-of-war. 

Father  and  Jack  were  just  shoving  off,  when  two  persons 
who  had  come  out  of  the  "  Keppel's  Head  "  were  seen  huri  y- 
ing  down  the  Hard  with  cases  and  packages  in  their  hands 


My  Early  Days  at  Home.  3 

and  under  their  arms.  One,  as  his  dress  and  appearance 
showed,  was  a  seafaring  man ;  the  other  wore  long  toggery, 
as  sailors  call  the  costume  of  landsmen. 

"  If  you  are  going  out  to  Spithead,  my  man,  we'll  go  with 
you,"  shouted  the  first. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  I'll  be  glad  enough  to  take  you,"  answered 
father,  happy  to  get  a  fare,  instead  of  making  nothing  by 
the  trip. 

"We'll  give  you  five  shillings  a-piece,"  said  the  officer, 
for  such  he  seemed  to  be. 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  that  will  do.  What  ship  shall  I  put 
you  aboard  ?  "  asked  father. 

"  The  Intrepid,  South  Sea  whaler — she's  lying  to  the  east- 
ward of  the  men-of-war.  We  shall  see  her  when  we  get 
abreast  of  Southsea  Castle,"  answered  the  officer. 

"  Step  aboard,  then,  sir,"  said  father.  "  The  tide  will 
soon  have  done  making  out  of  the  harbour,  and  there's  no 
time  to  lose." 

The  strangers  took  their  seats  in  the  sternsheets,  and 
father  and  Jack,  shoving  off,  pulled  out  into  the  stream. 

The  officer  took  the  yoke-lines,  and  by  the  way  he 
handled  them,  showed  that  he  knew  what  he  was  about. 
Careful  steering  is  always  required  where  tides  run  strong 
and  vessels  are  assembled  ;  but  especially  was  it  at  that 
time,  when,  peace  having  been  just  proclaimed,  Portsmouth 
Harbour  was  crowded  with  men-of-war  lately  returned  from 
foreign  stations,  and  with  transports  and  victuallers  come  in 
to  be  discharged ;  while  all  the  way  up  towards  Porchester 
Castle  lay,  now  dismantled  in  va^t  numbers,  those  stout  old 
ships  with  names  renowned  which  had  borne  the  victorious 
flag  of  England  in  many  a  fierce  engagement.  Dockyard 
lighters,  man-of-war  boats,  wherries  crowded  with  passengers, 
and  other  craft  of  various  descriptions,  were  sailing  or 
pulling  about  in  all  directions,  so  that  the  stranger  had  to 


4  Peter  Trawl. 

keep  his  eyes  about  him  to  avoid  being  run  down  by,  or 
running  into,  some  other  boat  or  vessel. 

"  We'll  step  the  mast,  and  make  sail  while  we're  in 
smooth  water,  sir,"  said  father.  "  There's  a  lop  of  a  sea 
outside,  when  it  wouldn't  be  pleasant  to  this  gentleman  if 
we  were  to  wait  till  then,"  and  he  gave  a  look  at  the  lands- 
man, who  even  now  did  not  seem  altogether  comfortable. 

"  The  doctor  hasn't  been  used  to  the  sea,  but  he'll  soon 
get  accustomed  to  it  No  fear  of  that,  Cot  kle,  eh  ?  "  said 
the  officer,  who  was,  he  afterwards  told  father,  second  mate 
of  the  Intrepid. 

"  I  hope  I  shall,  Mr.  Griffiths,  but  I  confess  I  don't  much 
like  the  thought  of  going  through  those  foaming  waves  out 
there  in  such  a  cockleshell  of  a  boat  as  this,"  answered  the 
doctor.  "  No  offence  to  you,  my  friend,''  he  added,  turning 
to  father. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha !  That's  just  what  the  boat  is  at  present," 
said  the  mate,  laughing.  "  Do  you  twig,  doctor  ?  do  you 
twig?  She  carries  you  and  your  fortunes,  and  if  she  takes 
us  safe  alongside  the  Intrepid— and.  I  see  no  reason  why 
she  shouldn't — we  shall  be  obliged  to  her  and  her  owner 
here.  What's  your  name,  my  man  ?  " 

"Jack  Trawl,  sir;  at  your  service,"  answered  father. 
"  Many's  the  time  I've  been  out  to  Spithead  in  this  here 
wherry  when  it's  been  blowing  great  guns  and  small  arms, 
and  she's  ridden  over  the  seas  like  a  duck.  The  gentleman 
needn't  be  afraid." 

The  doctor,  who  did  not  seem  to  like  the  mate's  joking, 
or  father's  remark  about  being  afraid,  sat  silent  for  some 
time. 

"  I'll  take  the  helm,  sir,  if  you  please,"  said  father,  who 
had  stepped  the  mast  and  hauled  aft  the  sheets.  "My 
wherry  likes  me  to  have  hold  of  her,  and  maybe  she  mightn't 
behave  as  well  as  she  should  if  a  stranger  was  steering." 


My  Early  Days,  at  Home.  5 

"I  understand,"  answered  Mr.  Griffiths,  laughing.  "You 
are  wise  not  to  trust  any  one  but  yourself".  I'll  yield  to  you 
in  handling  this  style  of  boat  under  sail,  thoagh  I  may  have 
been  more  at  sea  than  you  have." 

"  I  doubt  that,  sir.  as  I  went  afloat  not  long  after  you 
were  born,  if  not  before,  anJ  for  well-nigh  thirty  years 
seldom  set  foot  on  shore,"  answered  father.  "  All  that  time 
I  served  His  Majesty — God  bless  him — and  if  there  was  to 
come  another  war  I'd  be  ready  to  serve  him  again,  as  my 
boy  Jack  there  is  just  going  to  do." 

"  A  fine  lad  he  seems,  but  he'd  better  by  half  have  joined 
the  merchant  service  than  submitted  to  the  tyranny  of  a 
man-of-war,"  said  the  mate. 

"There  are  just  two  opinions,  sir,  as  to  that,"  answered 
father,  dryly.  "Haul  down  the  tack,  Jack,  and  get  a  pull 
of  the  foresheet,"  he  sang  out. 

There  was  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  south-east  blowing 
almost  up  the  harbour,  but  by  keeping  over  on  the  Ports- 
mouth side,  aided  by  the  tide,  we  stood  clear  out  of  it. 
The  wherry  soon  began  to  pitch  into  the  seas,  which  came 
rolling  in  round  Southsea  Castle  in  a  way  which  made  the 
doctor  look  very  blue.  The  mate  tried  to  cheer  him  up, 
but  he  evidently  didn't  like  it,  especially  when  the  spray 
came  flying  over  the  bows,  and  quickly  wet  him  and  most 
of  us  well-nigh  through  to  the  skin.  Every  now  and  then 
more  than  the  mere  spray  came  aboard  us,  and  the  doctor 
became  more  and  more  uncomfortable. 

Father  now  called  Jack  aft  to  bale  out  the  water,  and  he 
set  to  work  heaving  it  overboard  as  fast  as  it  came  in.  I 
laughed,  and  did  not  feel  a  bit  afraid,  because  when  I  looked 
up  at  father's  face  I  saw  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
afraid  about.  At  length  the  mate  seemed  to  think  that  we 
were  carrying  on  too  lon^. 

"  Doctor  Cockle  is  not  accustomed  to  this  sort  of  thing," 


6  Peter  Trawl. 

he  observed.  "  Hadn't  we  better  take  in  a  reef  or 
two?" 

"Not  if  you  wish  to  get  aboard  your  ship,  sir,  before 
night,"  answered  father.  "  I  know  my  boat,  and  I  know 
what  she'll  do.  Trust  me,  sir,  and  in  less  than  half  an-hour 
you'll  be  safe  alongside  the  Intrepid." 

The  mate  seemed  satisfied,  and  began  talking  to  me, 
amused  at  the  way  I  sat  bobbing,  as  the  spray  came  aboard, 
under  an  old  pea-jacket  which  father  had  thrown  over  my 
shoulders,  and  grinning  when  I  found  that  I  had  escaped 
the  shower  by  which  the  others  got  well  sprinkled. 

"  I'll  not  forget  you,  my  little  fellow,"  he  said,  laughing. 
"  You'll  make  a  prime  seaman  one  of  these  days.  Will  you 
remember  my  name  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  think  I  shall,  and  your  face  too,"  I  answered. 

"  You  are  a  sharp  chap,  I  see,"  he  observed,  in  the  same 
tone  as  before. 

"  Do  you  intend  to  make  a  sailor  of  him  ?  "  he  asked, 
turning  to  father. 

"  Not  if  I  can  find  a  better  calling  for  the  boy,  sir," 
answered  father.  "  I've  heard  say,  and  believe  it,  that  man 
proposes  and  God  disposes.  It  mayn't  be  in  my  power  to 
choose  for  him." 

"  Ay,  ay,  you're  right  there,  my  friend,"  said  the  mate. 
"  If  he  had  been  as  old  as  his  brother  1  would  have  given 
him  a  berth  aboard  the  Intrepid.'" 

It  may  seem  curious  that,  young  as  1  was,  I  should  have 
remembered  these  remarks,  but  so  it  was,  and  I  had  reason 
long  afterwards  to  do  so. 

Even  sooner  than  father  had  said  we  had  hooked  on  to 
the  whaler,  a  barque  of  about  three  hundred  tons,  her  black 
hull  rising  high  out  of  the  water,  and  with  three  boats,  sharp 
at  Loth  ends,  hoisted  up  to  davits  in  a  line  on  each  side. 
The  good-natured  male  having  paid  the  fare  and  given  me  a 


My  Early  Days  at  Home.  7 

bright  shilling  in  addition,  helped  the  doctor,  who  wasn't 
very  well  able  to  help  himself,  up  on  deck,  and  we  then, 
shoving  off,  stood  for  the  man-of-war  brig. 

Jack  almost  broke  down  as  we  approached  her.  Not 
that  he  was  unwilling  to  go  away,  but  that  he  was  very 
sorry  to  part  from  father  and  me,  and  I  know  that  we  were 
very  sorry  to  part  with  him. 

"Jack,  my  son,"  said  father,  and  his  voice  wasn't  as  firm 
as  usual,  "  we  may  never  meet  again  on  this  side  the  grave. 
You  may  be  taken  or  I  may  be  taken.  What  I  want  to  say 
to  you  is  this,  and  they  may  be  well-nigh  the  last  words  you 
will  ever  hear  me  speak.  Ever  remember  that  God's  eye 
is  upon  you,  and  so  live  that  you  may  be  prepared  at  any 
moment  to  die.  I  can't  say  more  than  that,  my  boy. 
Bless  you.  God  bless  you." 

"  I  will,  father,  I  will,"  answered  Jack,  and  he  passed 
the  back  of  his  hand  across  his  eyes. 

We  were  soon  up  to  the  brig.  He  gave  me  a  hug  and  a 
kiss,  and  then,  having  made  fast  the  end  of  the  rope  hove 
to  us,  he  griped  father's  hand,  and  sprang  up  the  side  of 
the  brig.  His  bag  was  hoisted  up  after  him  by  an  old 
shipmate  of  father's,  who  sang  out,  "All  right,  Trawl,  I'll 
look  after  your  boy  !  " 

We  hid  at  once  to  shove  o!T,  for  the  brig  was  rolling 
considerably,  and  there  was  a  risk  of  the  wherry  being 
swamped  alongside.  As  we  stood  away  I  looked  astern. 
Jack  had  climbed  into  the  fore-rigging  and  was  waving  to 
us.  We  soon  lost  sight  of  him.  When,  if  ever,  should  we 
see  him  again  ? 

Having  the  wind  and  tide  with  us,  we  quickly  ran  back 
into  the  harbour.  For  reasons  which  will  appear  by-and-by 
I  ought  to  say  a  few  words  respecting  my  family,  though  I 
don't  flatter  myself  the  world  in  general  will  be  much  con- 
cerned about  the  matter.  Some  people  are  said  to  be  born 


8  Peter  Trawl. 

with  silver  spoons  in  their  mouths;  if  that  means,  as  I 
suppose  it  does,  that  from  their  earliest  days  they  enjoy  all 
the  luxuries  of  life,  then  I  may  say  when  I  first  saw  the 
light  I  must  have  had  a  very  rough  wooden  one  between 
my  toothless  gums.  However,  as  I've  often  since  thought, 
it  isn't  so  much  what  a  man  is  born  to  which  signifies,  as 
\vhat  he  becomes  by  his  honesty,  steadiness,  perseverance, 
and  above  all  by  his  earnest  desire  to  do  right  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

My  father,  Jack  Trawl  (as  he  spelt  his  name,  or,  rather, 
as  others  spelt  it  for  him,  he  being  no  great  hand  with  a 
pen),  was  an  old  man-of-war's-man.  I  well  remember  hear- 
ing him  say  that  his  father,  who  had  been  mate  of  a 
merchantman,  and  had  been  lost  at  sea  when  he  himself 
was  a  boy,  was  a  Shetlander;  and  in  an  old  Testament 
which  had  belonged  to  his  mother,  and  which  he  had 
treasured  as  the  only  relic  of  either  of  his  parents,  I  found 
the  name  written  Troil.  The  ink  was  very  faint,  but  I 
made  out  the  words  clearly,  "  Margaret  Troil,  given  to  her 
by  her  husband  Angus."  This  confirmed  me  in  the  idea  I 
had  formed,  that  both  my  father's  parents  had  come  from 
ihe  far-off  island  of  Shetland. 

My  father  being  a  sober,  steady  man,  having  saved  more 
<>f  his  pay  and  prize-money  than  had  most  of  his  shipmates, 
when  he  left  the  service  bought  a  wherry,  hired  and  furnished 
a  house,  and  married  my  mother,  Polly  Treherne,  the 
Daughter  of  a  bumboat  woman  who  plied  her  trade  in 
Portsmouth  Harbour. 

I  have  no  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  my  grandmother,  for 
every  one  who  knew  her  said,  and  I  am  sure  of  it,  that  she 
was  as  worthy  a  woman  in  her  line  of  life  as  ever  lived. 
K'le  gave  good  measure  and  charged  honest  prices,  whether 
s'le  was  dealing  in  soft  tack,  fruit,  vegetables,  cheese, 
herrings,  or  any  of  the  other  miscellaneous  articles  with 


My  Early  Days  at  Home.  g 

which  she  supplied  the  seamen  of  His  Majesty's  ships ;  and 
her  daughter  Polly,  who  assisted  her,  was  acknowledged  by 
all  to  be  as  good  and  kind-hearted  as  she  was  pretty.  No 
wonder,  then,  that  she  won  the  heart  of  my  brave  father 
when  she  visited  the  ship  in  which  he  had  just  come  home, 
or  that,  knowing  his  worth,  although  she  had  many  suitors, 
she  consented  to  marry  him. 

For  some  time  all  went  well,  but  what  happened  is  a 
proof  that  honest,  industrious  persons  may  be  overtaken  by 
misfortunes  as  well  as  other  people.  Father  had  no  inten- 
tion that  his  wife  should  follow  her  mother's  calling,  as  he 
could  make  enough  to  keep  the  pot  boiling  ;  but  after  they 
had  been  married  a  few  years,  and  several  children  had 
been  born,  all  of  whom  died  in  their  infancy,  except  my 
eldest  brother  Jack,  and  me  and  Mary,  the  two  youngest, 
bad  times  came. 


CHAPTER  II. 
HOW  A  TRUE  FRIEND  WAS  GAINED. 

JUST  before  we  two  entered  this  world  of  troubles,  the 
bank  in  which  my  father  had  deposited  his  savings 
broke,  and  all  were  lost.  The  sails  of  his  wherry  were 
worn  out,  and  he  had  been  about  to  buy  a  new  suit,  which 
he  now  couldn't  do ;  the  wherry  herself  was  getting  crazy, 
and  required  repairs,  and  he  himself  met  with  an  accident 
which  laid  him  up  for  several  weeks.  Grandmother  also, 
who  had  lost  nearly  her  all  by  the  failure  of  the  bank,  though 
she  had  hitherto  been  hale  and  hearty,  now  began  to  talk  of 
feeling  the  approach  of  old  age. 

One  evening,  while  father  was  laid  up,  she  looked  in  on 
us.  "  Polly,  my  girl,  there's  no  use  trying  to  beat  up  in  the 
teeth  of  a  gale  with  a  five-knot  current  against  one,"  sh- 
exclaimed,  as,  dropping  down  into  our  big  arm-chair  and 
undoing  her  bonnet-strings  and  the  red  handkerchief  she 
wore  round  her  neck,  she  threw  her  bonnet  over  the  back  of 
her  head.  "  I'm  dead  beat  with  to-day's  work,  and  shall  be 
worse  to-morrow.  Now,  my  dear,  what  I've  got  to  say  is 
this,  I  want  you  to  help  me.  You  know  the  trade  as  well 
as  I  do.  It  will  be  a  gopd  thing  for  you  as  well  as  for  me ; 
for  look  you,  my  dear,  if  anything  should  happen  to  your 
Jack,  it  will  help  you  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door." 

This  last  argument,  with  her  desire  to  help  the  good  old 
lady,  made  mother  say  that  if  father  was  agreeable  she  would 


Hvw  a   True  Friend  was   Gancd. 


II 


do  as  grandmother  wished.  She  forthwith  went  upstairs, 
v  here  father  was  lying  in  bed,  scarcely  able  to  move  for  the 
pain  his  hurt  caused  him.  They  talked  the  matter  over, 
and  he,  knowing  that  something  must  be  done  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  family,  gave,  though  unwillingly,  his  consent. 
Thus  it  happened  that  my  mother  again  took  to  bumming. 

Trade,  however,  wasn't  like  what  it  used  to  be  in  the  war 
time,  I  heard  grandmother  say.  Then  seamen  would  have 
their  pockets  fille  1  with  five-pound  notes  and  golden  guineas, 
which  they  were  eager  to  spend  ;  now  they  rarely  had  more 
than  a  few  shillings  or  a  handful  of  coppers  jingling  in  them. 
Stili  there  was  an  honest  livelihood  to  be  made,  and  grand- 
mother and  mother  contrived  to  make  it.  Poor  grand- 
mother, however,  before  long  fell  ill,  as  she  said  she  should, 
and  then  all  the  work  fell  on  mother.  Father  got  better, 
and  was  able  sometimes  to  go  out  with  the  wherry,  but 
grandmother  got  worse  and  worse,  and  mother  had  to  attend 
on  her  till  she  died. 

When  she  and  father  were  away  from  home,  Mary  and  I 
were  left  to  the  care  of  our  brother  Jack.  He  did  his  best 
to  look  after  us,  but  not  being  skilled  as  a  nursemaid,  while 
he  was  tending  Mary,  who,  being  a  girl — she  was  my  twin 
sister,  I  should  have  said — required  most  of  his  care,  he 
could  not  always  manage  to  prevent  me  from  getting  into 
trouble.  Fortunately  nothing  very  serious  happened. 

.Dear,  kind  Jack  !  I  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  generally 
obeyed  him  willingly.  It  would  not  be  true  to  say  that  I 
always  did  so.  He  was  very  fond  of  Mary  and  me  too,  of 
that  I  am  sure,  and  he  used  to  show  his  fondness  by  spend- 
ing for  our  benefit  any  coppers  he  picked  up  by  running  on 
errands  or  doing  odd  jobs  for  neighbours.  As  his  purchases 
were  usually  brandy-balls,  rock,  and  other  sweets,  it  was 
perhaps  fortunate  for  us  that  he  had  not  many  to  spend. 
By  diligently  pursuing  her  trade,  mother,  in  course  of  time, 


12  Peter  Trawl. 

saved  money  enough  to  enable  father  to  get  the  wherry 
repaired,  and  to  buy  a  new  suit  of  sails,  and  when  he  got 
plenty  of  employment  he  bade  mother  stay  at  home  and 
look  after  Mary  and  me,  while  Jack  went  with  him.  As, 
however,  it  would  not  have  been  prudent  to  give  up  her 
business  altogether,  she  hired  a  girl,  Nancy  Fidget,  to  take 
her  place,  as  Jack  had  done,  when  she  was  from  home. 

I  don't  remember  that  anything  of  importance  happened 
after  grandmother's  death  till  Jack  went  to  sea.  We  missed 
him  very  much,  and  Mary  was  always  asking  after  him, 
wondering  when  he  would  come  back.  Still,  if  I  had  gone 
away,  she  would,  I  think,  have  fretted  still  more.  Perhaps 
it  was  because  we  were  twins  that  we  were  so  fond  of  each 
other.  We  were,  however,  not  much  alike.  She  was  a  fair, 
blue-eyed  little  maiden,  with  flaxen  hair  and  a  rosy  blush  on 
her  cheeks,  and  I  was  a  broad-shouldered,  strongly-built 
chap,  the  hue  on  my  cheeks  and  the  colour  of  my  hair  soon 
becoming  deepened  by  my  being  constantly  out  of  doors, 
while  my  eyes  were,  I  fancy,  of  a  far  darker  tint  than  my 
sister's. 

After  Jack  went  mother  seemed  to  concentrate  all  her 
affections  on  us  two.  I  don't  think,  however,  that  any 
woman  could  have  a  warmer  or  larger  heart  than  hers, 
although  many  may  have  a  wider  scope  for  the  exercise  of 
their  feelings.  She  never  turned  a  beggar  away  from  her 
door  without  some  relief  even  in  the  worst  of  times,  and 
when  any  of  the  neighbours  were  in  distress,  she  always 
did  her  best  to  help  them.  Often  when  she  had  been  out 
bumming  for  the  best  part  of  the  day,  and  had  been  attending 
to  household  matters  for  the  remainder,  she  would  sit  up 
the  whole  night  with  a  sick  acquaintance  who  was  too  poor 
to  hire  a  nurse,  and  had  only  thanks  to  give  her,  and 
perhaps  of  that  not  very  liberally. 

I  have  said  that  my  mother  had  as  warm  and  generous  a 


How  a   True  Friend  was  Gained.         13 

heart  as  ever  beat  in  woman's  bosom.  I  repeat  it.  I  might 
give  numerous  instances  to  prove  the  truth  of  my  assertion, 
and  to  show  that  I  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  being  her 
son,  whatever  the  world  may  think  about  the  matter.  O;.e 
will  suffice.  It  had  an  important  effect  on  my  destinies, 
although  at  the  time  no  one  would  have  supposed  that  such 
would  be  the  case.  One  evening,  as  my  mother  was  return- 
ing home  off  the  water  after  dark,  she  found  a  female  fallen 
down  close  to  our  door,  in  what  seemed  to  be  a  fit.  Some 
of  the  neighbours  had  seen  the  poor  creature,  but  had  let 
her  lie  there,  and  gone  indoors,  and  several  persons  passing 
showed  by  their  remarks  what  they  thought  of  her  character; 
but  mother,  not  stopping  to  consider  who  she  was  or  what 
she  was,  lifting  her  up  in  h»r  strong  arms,  carried  her  into 
the  house,  and  placed  her  on  the  bed  which  used  to  be 
Jack's. 

Mother  now  saw  by  the  light  of  the  candle  that  the 
unhappy  being  she  had  taken  charge  of  was  still  young,  and 
once  had  been  pretty,  but  the  life  she  had  led  had  marred 
her  beauty  and  brought  her  to  her  present  sad  state.  After 
mother  had  undressed  her  and  given  her  food  and  a  cordial 
in  which  she  had  great  confidence,  the  girl  slightly  revived, 
but  it  became  more  evident  than  before  that  she  was  fear- 
fully ill.  She  sobbed  and  groaned,  and  sometimes  shrieked 
out  in  a  way  terrible  to  hear,  but  would  give  no  account  of 
herself.  At  length,  mother,  mistrusting  her  own  skill,  sent 
Nancy  and  me  off  to  call  Dr.  Rolt,  the  nearest  medical  man 
we  knew  of.  He  came  at  once,  and  shaking  his  head  as 
soon  as  he  saw  the  stranger,  he  advised  that  she  should  be 
removed  forthwith  to  the  hospital. 

"  Not  to-night,  doctor,  surely,"  said  mother.  "  It  might 
be  the  death  of  her,  poor  young  creature  ! " 

"  She  may  rapidly  grow  worse,  and  it  may  be  still  more 
dangerous  to  move  her  afterwards,"  remarked  Dr.  Rolt 


14  Peter  Trawl. 

"Then,  please  God,  I'll  keep  charge  of  her  till  she 
recovers,  or  He  thinks  fit  to  take  her,"  said  mother,  in  her 
determined  way. 

"She  will  never  recover,  I  fear,"  said  the  doctor;  "but  I 
will  do  the  best  for  her  I  can." 

Telling  mother  how  to  act,  and  promising  to  send  sore 
medicine,  he  went  away.  When  father,  who  had  been 
across  to  Ryde  in  the  wherry,  came  home,  he  approvad  of 
what  mother  had  done. 

"  Why,  you  see,  Jack,  what  I  think  is  this,"  I  heard  her 
say ;  "  I've  no  right  to  point  a  finger  at  her,  for  if  I  hadn't 
had  a  good  mother  to  show  me  right  and  wrong,  I  might 
have  been  ju-t  as  she  is." 

The  next  morning  the  doctor  came  again.  He  looked 
grave  when  he  left  the  stranger's  room.  "You  are  still 
resolved  to  let  this  poor  outcast  remain  in  your  house, 
Mrs.  Trawl?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  my  good  man  thinks  as  I  do,  that  we  ought," 
answered  mother,  positively. 

Dr.  Roll  returned  in  the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  a 
gentleman  wearing  a  broad-brimmed  hat  and  a  straight-cut 
broadcloth  coat  of  sombre  hue.  He  smiled  pleasantly  at 
mother  as  he  took  the  seat  she  offered  him  without  doffing 
his  hat,  and  beckoning  to  Mary  and  me,  put  his  hands  on 
our  heads,  while  he  looked  into  our  faces  and  smiled  as  he 
had  done  to  mother. 

"  I  have  brought  Mr.  Silas  Gray,  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  knowing  that  I  should  have  your  leave,  Mrs. 
Trawl,  as  he  desires  to  see  the  poor  girl  you  have  taken  care 
of,"  said  Dr.  Rolt. 

"  Verily,  sister,  thou  hast  acted  the  part  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  towards  the  hapless  one  of  whom  friend  Rolt  has 
told  me,  and  I  would  endeavour  to  minister  to  her  spiritual 
necessities,  the  which  I  fear  are  great  indeed ;  also  with  thy 


How  a   True  Friend  was  Gained.          15 

leave  I  will  help  thee  in  supplying  such  creature  comforts  as 
she  may  need,"  said  Mr.  Gray. 

"  Thank  you  kindly,  sir,"  answered  mother.  "  I  couldn't 
say  much  on  the  matter  of  religion,  except  to  tell  her  that 
God  cares  for  her  as  well  as  He  does  for  the  richest  lady  in 
the  land,  and  will  pardon  her  sins  if  she  will  but  turn  to 
Him  through  Christ ;  and  as  to  food,  kickshaws  fit  for  sick 

folk  are  not  much  in  my  way,  still  I'll " 

"Thou  knowest  the  very  gist  of  the  matter,  sister," 
observed  Mr.  Gray,  interrupting  her ;  "  but  time  is  precious. 
I'll  go  in  with  friend  Rolt  and  speak  to  the  wandering 
child."  Saying  this,  Mr.  Gray  accompanied  the  doctor  into 
the  stranger's  room. 

He,  after  this,  came  again  and  again — never  empty- 
handed — oftener  indeed  than  the  doctor,  whose  skill  failed, 
as  he  feared  it  would,  to  arrest  the  poor  girl's  malady,  while 
Mr.  Gray's  ministrations  were  successful  in  giving  her  the 
happy  assurance  that  "  though  her  sins  were  as  scarlet,  she 
had  become  white  as  snow,"  so  he  assured  mother. 
"  Praise  the  Lord,"  was  her  reply. 

So  the  young  stranger  died — her  name,  her  history, 
unknown.  Mr.  Gray  paid  the  expenses  of  her  funeral,  and 
frequently  after  that  came  to  see  us,  to  inquire,  as  he  said, 
how  we  were  getting  on. 

We  had  not  heard  from  brother  Jack  since  he  went 
aboard  the  Lapwing.  Mother  thought  that  he  might  have 
got  some  one  to  write  for  him,  though  he  was  no  great  hand 
with  a  pen  himself.  All  we  knew  was  that  the  brig  had 
gone  out  to  the  East  Indies,  which  being  a  long  way  off 
would  have  accounted  for  our  not  often  getting  letters  from 
him  ;  but  just  one  father  hoped  he  would  have  contrived  to 
send  after  he  had  been  a  year  away ;  now  neatly  three  years 
had  passed  since  then.  Had  the  Lapwing  been  fitted  out 
at  Portsmouth,  we  should  have  got  news  of  him  from  others, 


1 6  Peter  Trawl. 

but  as  none  of  her  crew  hailed  from  our  town,  there  was  no 
one  to  whom  we  could  go  to  ask  about  him.  Father  had 
taken  lately  to  talk  much  about  Jack,  and  sometimes 
regretted  that  he  had  let  him  go  away. 

"  You  acted  for  the  best,  and  so  don't  be  blaming  your- 
self," observed  mother,  trying  to  console  him.  "There's 
One  aloft  looking  after  him  better  than  we  can,  and  He'll 
bring  our  boy  back  to  us  if  He  thinks  fit." 

Mary  and  I  little  knew  all  the  trials  father  and  mother 
had  to  go  through.  Mother's  trade  was  bad,  and  father  was 
often  out  all  day  without  bringing  a  shilling  home.  Younger 
men  with  more  gaily-painted  boats — he  would  not  acknow- 
ledge that  they  were  better — got  fares  when  he  could  not 
manage  to  pick  up  one.  Sometimes  also  he  was  laid  up 
with  the  rheumatics,  and  was  unable  to  go  afloat.  One 
day,  while  thus  suffering,  mother  fetched  Dr.  Rolt  to  see 
him.  Father  begged  the  doctor  to  get  him  well  as  soon  as 
he  could,  seeing  that  he  wanted  to  be  out  in  the  wherry  to 
gain  his  livelihood. 

"All  in  good  time,  my  man,"  answered  the  doctor. 
"  You'll  be  about  again  in  a  few  days,  never  fear.  By-the- 
bye,  I  saw  our  friend  Mr.  Gray  lately,  Mrs.  Trawl,  and  he 
was  inquiring  for  you.  He  would  have  come  to  see  your 
husband  had  he  known  that  he  was  ill,  but  he  went  away  to 
London  yesterday,  and  may,  I  fear,  be  absent  for  some  time. 
Many  will  miss  him  should  he  be  long  away." 

Sooner  than  father  expected  he  was  about  again.  I  had 
gone  down  with  father  and  mother  to  the  Hard,  mother  to 
board  a  ship  which  had  just  come  in,  and  father  to  look  out 
for  a  fare,  while  Mary  remained  at  home  with  Nancy.  It 
was  blowing  pretty /resh,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sea 
running  outside,  though  in  the  harbour  the  water  was  not 
rough  enough  to  prevent  mother  from  going  off.  While  she 
was  waiting  for  old  Tom  Swatridge,  who  had  been  with 


How  a   True  Friend  was  Gained.          17 

grandmother  and  her  for  years  to  bring  along  her  baskets  of 
vegetables  from  the  market,  a  gentleman  came  hurrying 
down  the  Hard,  and  seeing  father  getting  the  wherry  ready, 
said, 

"I  want  you  to  put  me  aboard  my  ship,  my  man.  She's 
lying  out  at  Spithead ;  we  must  be  off  at  once." 

"  It's  blowing  uncommon  fresh,  sir,"  said  father.  "  I 
don't  know  how  you'll  like  it  when  we  get  outside;  still 
there's  not  a  wherry  in  the  harbour  that  will  take  you  aboard 
drier  than  mine,  though  there's  some  risk,  sir,  you'll  under- 
stand." 

"  Will  a  couple  of  guineas  tempt  you  ? "  asked  the 
stranger,  thinking  that  father  was  doubting  about  the  pay- 
ment he  was  to  receive. 

"  I'll  take  you,  sir,"  answered  father.     "  Step  aboard." 

I  was  already  in  the  boat,  thinking  that  I  was  to  go,  and 
was  much  disappointed  when  father  said, 

"  I  am  not  going  to  take  you,  Peter,  for  your  mother 
wants  you  to  help  her;  but  just  run  up  and  tell  Ned  Dore 
I  want  him.  He's  standing  by  the  sentry-box." 

As  I  always  did  as  father  bade  me,  I  ran  up  and  called 
Ned,  who  at  once  came  roiling  along  down  the  Hard,  glad 
of  a  job.  When  he  heard  what  he  was  wanted  for  he 
stepped  aboard. 

"  I  hope  to  be  back  in  a  couple  of  hours,  or  three  at 
furthest,  Polly,"  father  sang  out  to  mother,  as  he  shoved  off 
the  wherry.  "Good-bye,  lass,  and  see  that  Peter  makes 
himself  useful." 

Mother  waved  her  hand. 

"  Though  two  guineas  are  not  to  be  picked  up  every  day, 
I  would  as  lief  he  had  stayed  in  the  harbour  this  blowing 
weather,"  she  said  to  herself  more  than  to  me,  as  on  seeing 
old  Tom  coming  we  stepped  into  her  boat. 

When  father  first  went  to  sea,  Tom  Swatridge  had  been 


1 8  Pdtr  Trawl. 

his  shipmate,  and  had  done  him  many  a  kind  turn  which  he 
had  never  forgotten.  Old  Tom  had  lost  a  leg  at  Trafalgar, 
of  which  battle  he  was  fond  of  talking.  He  might  have 
borne  up  for  Greenwich,  but  he  preferred  his  liberty,  though 
he  had  to  work  for  his  daily  bread,  and,  I  am  obliged  to  say, 
for  his  daily  quantum  of  rum,  which  always  kept  his  pockets 
empty.  He  had  plenty  of  intelligence,  but  he  could  neither 
read  nor  write,  and  that,  with  his  love  of  grog,  had  prevented 
him  from  getting  on  in  life  as  well  as  his  many  good 
qualities  would  otherwise  have  enabled  him  to  do.  He  was 
a  tall  gaunt  man,  with  iron-grey  hair,  and  a  countenance 
wrinkled,  battered,  and  bronzed  by  wind  and  weather. 

When  he  first  came  ashore  he  was  almost  as  sober  a  man 
as  father,  and  having  plenty  of  prize-money  he  managed 
to  purchase  a  small  dwelling  for  himself,  which  I  shall  have 
by-and-by  to  describe.  Old  Tom  taking  the  oars,  we  pulled 
aboard  the  Dartmouth,  forty-two  gun.  frigate,  just  come  in 
from  the  Mediterranean.  Several  of  the  men  had  been 
shipmates  with  father,  and  all  those  belonging  to  Portsmouth 
knew  mother.  They  were  very  glad  to  see  her,  and  she  had 
lo  answer  questions  of  all  sorts  about  their  friends  on  shore. 
It  is  the  business  of  a  bumboat  woman  to  know  everything 
going  forward,  what  ships  are  likely  to  be  commissioned,  the 
characters  of  the  captains  and  officers,  when  they  are  to  sail, 
and  where  they  are  going  to.  Among  so  many  friends 
mother  drove  a  brisker  trade  than  usual,  and  when  the  men 
heard  that  I  was  Jack  Trawl's  son  they  gave  me  many  a 
bright  shilling  and  sixpence,  and  kind  pats  on  the  head 
with  their  broad  palms.  "  He's  a  chip  of  the  old  block,  no 
doubt  about  that,  missus,"  cried  one.  "  He'll  make  a  smart 
young  topman  one  of  these  days,"  said  another.  Several 
gave  her  commissions  to  execute,  and  many  sent  messages 
to  friends  on  shore.  Altogether,  when  she  left  the  frigate 
she  was  in  better  spirits  than  she  had  been  for  a  long  time. 


How  a   True  Friend  was  Gained.         19 

Scarcely  had  we  shoved  off,  however,  when  down  came 
the  rain  in  torrents,  well-nigh  wetting  us  through. 

"  It's  blowing  plaguey  hard,  missus,"  observed  old  Tom,  as 
he  tugged  away  at  the  oars,  I  helping  him  while  mother 
steered.  "  I  hope  as  how  we  shall  find  your  good  man  safe 
ashore  when  we  gets  in." 

On  reaching  the  Hard  the  wherry  was  not  to  be  seen. 
After  old  Tom  had  made  fast  the  boat,  wet  as  she  was 
mother  waited  and  waited  in  the  hopes  that  father  would 
come  in.  Old  Tom  remained  also.  He  seemed  more  than 
usually  anxious.  We  all  stood  with  our  hands  shielding  our 
eyes  as  we  looked  down  the  harbour  to  try  and  make  out  the 
wherry,  but  the  driving  rain  greatly  limited  our  view. 

"  Hast  seen  anything  of  Jack  Trawl's  wherry  ?  "  asked  old 
Tom  over  and  over  again  of  the  men  in  the  different  boats, 
as  they  came  in  under  their  mizens  and  foresails.  The  same 
answer  was  returned  by  all. 

"  Maybe  he  got  a  fare  at  Spithead  for  Gosport  and  will  be 
coming  across  soon,  or  he's  gone  ashore  at  the  Point  with 
some  one's  luggage,"  observed  old  Tom,  trying  to  keep  up 
mother's  spirits ;  but  that  was  a  hard  matter  to  do,  for  the 
wind  blew  stronger  and  stronger.  A  few  vessels  could  be 
seen,  under  close-reefed  canvas,  running  up  the  harbour  for 
shelter,  but  we  could  nowhere  perceive  a  single  boat  under 
sail.  Still  old  Tom  continued  to  suggest  all  sorts  of  reasons 
why  father  had  not  come  back.  Perhaps  he  had  been 
detained  on  board  the  ship  at  Spithead  to  which  he 
took  the  gentleman,  and  seeing  the  heavy  weather  coming 
on  would  remain  till  it  moderated.  Mother  clung  to  this 
notion  when  hour  after  hour  went  by  and  she  had  given  up 
all  expectation  of  ?eeing  father  that  evening.  Still  she  could 
not  tear  herself  from  the  Hard.  Suddenly  she  remembered 
me. 

"  You  .nust  be  getting  wet,  Peter,"  she  said     "  Run  home, 


2o  Peter  Trawl. 

my  child,  and  tell  Nancy  to  give  you  your  tea  and  then  to 
get  supper  ready.  Father  and  I  will  be  coming  soon,  I 
hope." 

I  lingered,  unwilling  to  leave  her. 
"  Won't  you  come  yourself,  mother?  "  I  asked. 
"  I'll  wait  a  bit  longer,"  she  answered.     "  Go,  Peter,  go ; 
do  as  I  bid  you." 

"  You'd  better  go  home  with  Peter,  missus,"  taid  old  Tom. 
"You'll  be  getting  the  rheumatics,  I'm  afraid.  I'll  stay  and 
look  out  for  your  good  man." 

I  had  never  seen  mother  look  as  she  did  then,  when  she 
turned  her  face  for  a  moment  to  reply  to  the  old  man.     She 
was  as  pile  as  death  ;  her  voice  sounded  hoarse  and  hollow. 
"  I  can't  go  just  yet,  Tom,"  she  said. 
T  did  not  hear  more,  as,  according  to  her  bidding,  I  set 
o.T  to  run  home.     I  found  Mary  and  Nancy  wondering  what 
hai  kept  mother  so  long. 

"  Can  anything  have  happened  to  father  ? "  exclaimed 
Mary,  when  I  told  her  that  mother  was  waiting  for  him. 

"  He  has  been  a  long  time  coming  back  from  Spithead, 
and  it's  blowing  fearfully  hard,"  I  answered. 

I  saw  Nancy  clasp  her  hands  and  look  upwards  with  an 
expression  of  alarm  on  her  countenance  which  frightened 
me.  Her  father  and  brother  had  been  lost  some  years  before, 
crossing  in  a  wherry  from  Ryde,  and  her  widowed  mother 
1  ad  found  it  a  hard  matter  to  keep  herself  and  her  children 
out  of  the  workhouse.  She  said  nothing,  however,  to  Mary 
and  me,  but  I  heard  her  sighing  and  whispering  to  herself, 
•;  What  will  poor  missus  do  ?  What  will  poor  missus  do  ?  " 
She  gave  Mary  and  me  our  suppers,  and  then  persuaded  us 
to  go  to  bed.  I  was  glad  to  do  so  to  get  off  my  wet  clothes, 
which  she  hung  up  to  dry,  but  I  could  not  go  to  sleep  for 
thinking  what  had  happened  to  father. 

At   length  mother  came  in  alone.     She  sat  down  on 


How  a   True  Friend  was  Gained.         21 

chair  without  speaking,  and  her  hands  dropped  by  her  side. 
I  could  watch  her  as  I  looked  out  from  the  small  closet  in 
which  my  bunk  was  placed.  Even  since  I  had  left  her  her 
countenance  had  become  fearfully  pale  and  haggard.  She 
shivered  all  over  several  times,  but  did  not  move  from  her 
seat. 

"  Won't  you  get  those  wet  duds  of  yours  off,  missus,  and 
have  some  hot  tea  and  supper  ? "  asked  Nancy,  who  had 
been  preparing  it. 

Mother  made  no  reply. 

"  Don't  take  on  so,  mis%us,"  said  Nancy,  coming  up  to 
her  and  putting  her  hand  affectionately  on  her  shoulder. 

"  Bless  me,  you're  as  wet  as  muck.  I've  put  Peter  and 
Mary  to  bed,  and  you  must  just  go  too,  or  you'll  be  having 
the  rheumatics  and  I  don't  know  what.  Do  go,  missus,  now 
do  go." 

In  vain  Nancy  pleaded,  and  was  still  endeavouring  to 
persuade  mother  to  take  off  her  wet  garments,  when  I  at 
last  fell  asleep.  When  I  awoke  in  the  morning  I  saw  Nancy 
alone  bustling  about  the  room.  I  soon  jumped  into  my 
clothes.  My  first  question  was  for  father. 

"  He's  not  yet  come  back,  Peter,"  she  answered.  "But 
maybe  he  will  before  long,  for  the  wind  has  fallen,  and  if  he 
put  into  Ryde  he'd  have  waited  till  now  to  come  across." 

"  Where's  mother  ?  "  I  next  asked,  not  seeing  her. 

"  Hush,  Peter,  don't  speak  loud,"  she  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"  She's  been  in  a  sad  taking  all  night,  but  she's  quiet  now, 
and  we  mustn't  waken  her." 

On  hearing  this  I  crept  about  as  silent  as  a  mouse  till 
Mary  got  up,  and  then  we  sat  looking  at  each  other  without 
speaking  a  word,  wondering  what  was  going  to  happen, 
while  Nancy  lit  the  fire  and  got  breakfast  ready.  At  last  we 
heard  mother  call  to  Nancy  to  come  to  her,  not  knowing 
that  Mary  and  I  were  on  foot. 


22  Peter  Trawl. 

"  I  must  get  up  and  go  and  look  after  my  good  man,"  she 
cried  out,  in  a  voice  strangely  unlike  her  own.  "  Just  help 
me,  Nancy,  will  you  ?  What  can  have  come  over  me  ?  I 
feel  very  curious." 

She  tried  to  rise,  but  could  not,  and  after  making  several 
attempts,  sank  back  on  her  bed  with  a  groan.  Mary  and  I 
now  ran  into  her  room. 

"  What's  the  matter,  mother  dear  ?  "  asked  Mary,  in  a  tone 
of  alarm. 

She  gazed  at  us  strangely,  and  groaned  again. 

"Missus  is,  I  fear,  taken  very  bad,"  said  Nancy.  "I 
must  run  for  a  doctor,  or  she'll  be  getting  worse.  I'm  sure 
I  don't  know  what  to  do ;  I  wish  I  did.  Oh  dear !  oh 
dear ! " 

"  Let  me  go,"  I  said,  eagerly.  "  I  know  where  he  lives, 
and  you  stay  and  take  care  of  mother.  I  can  run  faster  than 
you  can  in  and  out  among  the  people  in  the  streets." 

Nancy  agreed,  and  I  set  off. 


CHAPTER  III. 
A  SAD  CHAPTER  IN  MY  LIFE, 

AS  I  ran  for  the  doctor  I  felt  that  I  was  engaged  in  a 
matter  of  life  and  death,  for  I  had  never  seen  mother 
ill  before.  In  my  anxiety  for  her  I  almost  forgot  all  about 
father.  On  I  rushed,  dodging  in  and  out  among  the  work- 
men going  to  their  daily  toil — there  were  not  many  other 
persons  out  at  that  early  hour.  Two  or  three  times  I  heard 
the  cry  of  "  Stop  thief!  "  uttered  by  some  small  urchins  for 
mischiefs  sake,  and  once  an  old  watchman,  who  had  over- 
slept himself  in  his  box,  suddenly  starting  out  attempted  to 
seize  hold  of  me,  fancying  that  he  was  about  to  capture  a 
burglar,  but  I  slipped  away,  leaving  him  sprawling  in  the  dust 
and  attempting  to  spring  his  rattle,  and  I  ran  on  at  redoubled 
speed,  soon  getting  out  of  his  sight  round  a  corner.  At  last 
I  reached  Dr.  Rolfs  house  and  rang  the  surgery  bell  as  hard 
as  I  could  pull.  It  was  some  time  before  the  door  was 
opened  by  a  sleepy  maid-servant,  who  had  evidently  just 
hurried  on  her  clothes. 

"  Mother  wants  the  doctor  very  badly,"  I  exclaimed. 
"Ask  him,  please,  to  come  at  once." 

"  The  doctor  can't  come.  He's  away  from  home,  in 
London,"  answered  the  girl.  "You'd  better  run  on  to 
Dr.  Hunt's.  Maybe  he'll  attend  on  your  mother." 

I  asked  where  Dr.  Hunt  lived.    She  told  me.     His  house 


24  Peter  Trawl. 

was  some  way  off,  but  I  found  it  at  last  Again  I  had  to 
wait  for  the  door  to  be  opened,  when,  greatly  to  my  disap- 
pointment, the  maid  told  me  that  Dr.  Hunt  had  been  out 
all  night  and  might  not  be  at  home  for  an  hour  or  more. 

"  Oh  dear  !  Oh  dear  !  who  then  can  I  get  to  see  poor 
mother  ?  "  I  cried  out,  bursting  into  tears. 

"  There's  Mr.  Jones,  the  apothecary,  at  the  end  of  the 
next  street.  He'll  go  to  your  mother,  no  doubt,"  said  the 
maid.  "  Don't  cry,  my  boy.  Run  on  now ;  the  first 
turning  to  the  left.  You'll  see  the  red  and  green  globes  in 
his  window." 

Without  stopping  to  hear  more,  off  I  set  again.  Mr.  Jones 
was  in  his  dispensary,  giving  directions  to  his  assistant.  I 
told  him  my  errand. 

"I'll  go  presently,"  he  answered.     "What's  the  number?" 

Our  house  had  no  number,  and  I  could  not  manage  to 
explain  its  position  clearly  enough  for  his  comprehension. 

"  Then  I'll  stay,  sir,  and  show  you  the  way,"  I  said. 

"  Wait  a  bit,  and  I'll  be  ready,"  he  replied. 

He  kept  me  waiting,  however,  a  cruel  long  time,  it  seemed 
to  me.  At  last  he  appeared  with  his  silver-mounted  cane 
in  hand,  and  bade  me  go  on. 

"  Stop  !  stop,  boy.  I  can't  move  at  that  rate,"  he  cried 
out,  before  we  had  got  far.  He  was  a  short  stout  man,  with 
a  bald  head  and  grey  hair.  I  had  to  restrain  my  eagerness, 
and  walked  slower  till  we  reached  our  house.  Nancy  was 
looking  out  at  the  door  for  me,  wondering  I  had  not 
returned. 

"  How  is  mother  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Very  bad,  Peter;  very  bad  indeed,  I'm  afeard,"  she 
answered,  almost  ready  to  cry.  Then  seeing  Mr.  Jones 
stop  with  me,  she  continued,  "  Come  in,  doctor,  come  in. 
You'll  try  and  cure  missus,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I'll   certainly  do  my  best   when  I  know  what  is  the 


A  Sad  Chapter  in  my  Life.  25 

matter  with  her,"  answered  Mr.  Jones,  as  he  followed 
Nancy  into  the  house. 

Mary  was  with  mother.  I  stole  in  after  the  doctor, 
anxious  to  hear  what  he  would  say  about  her.  He  made 
no  remark  in  her  presence,  however,  but  when  he  came  out 
of  the  room  he  observed  in  a  low  voice  to  Nancy, 

"  You  must  keep  her  quiet  Let  there  be  nothing  done 
to  agitate  her,  tell  her  husband  when  he  comes  in.  I'll  send 
some  medicine,  and  pay  her  another  visit  in  the  after- 
noon." 

"  But  it's  about  her  husband  that  she's  grieving,  sir,"  said 
Nancy.  "  He  went  away  to  Spithead  yesterday  morning 
and  has  never  come  back."  i 

"  Ah,  that's  bad,"  replied  Mr.  Jones.  "  However,  per- 
haps he  will  appear  before  long.  If  he  doesn't,  it  can't  be 
helped.  You  must  give  her  the  medicines,  at  all  events. 
I'll  write  the  directions  clearly  for  you." 

Poor  Nancy  had  to  confess  that  she  could  not  read.  The 
doctor  then  tried  to  impress  upon  her  how  and  when  she 
was  to  give  the  physic. 

"You'll  remember,  and  there  can  be  no  mistake,"  he 
added,  as  he  hurried  off. 

I  fancied  that  everything  now  depended  on  the  arrival  of 
the  apothecary's  stuff,  and  kept  running  to  the  door  looking 
out  for  the  boy  who  was  to  bring  it.  He  seemed  very  long 
coming.  I  had  gone  half-a-dozen  times  when  I  caught 
sight,  as  I  turned  my  eyes  the  other  way  thinking  he  might 
have  passed  by,  of  Tom  Swatridge  stumping  slowly  up  the 
street.  He  stopped  when  he  saw  me,  and  beckoned.  He 
looked  very  downcast.  I  observed  that  he  had  a  straw  hat 
in  his  hand,  and  I  knew  that  it  was  father's. 

"  How  is  mother  ?  "  he  asked,  when  I  got  up  to  him. 

"  Very  bad,"  I  answered,  looking  at  the  hat,  but  afraid  to 
ask  questions. 


26  Peter  Trawl. 

"  The  news  I  bring  will  make  her  worse,  I'm  afeard,"  he 
said,  in  a  husky  voice,  as  he  took  my  hand.  "  Peter,  you 
had  as  good  a  father  as  ever  lived,  but  you  haven't  got  one 
now.  A  cutter  just  come  in  picked  up  this  hat  off  St. 
Helen's,  and  afterwards  an  oar  and  a  sprit  which  both 
belonged  to  the  wherry.  I  went  out  the  first  thing  this 
morning  to  the  ship  your  father  was  to  put  the  gentleman 
aboard.  He  had  got  alongside  all  right,  for  I  saw  the 
gentleman  himself,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  watched 
the  wherry  after  she  shoved  off  till  he  lost  sight  of  her  in  a 
heavy  squall  of  rain.  When  it  cleared  off  she  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  So,  Peter,  my  poor  boy,  there's  no  hope,  I'm 
afeard,  and  we  shall  never  see  my  old  messmate  or  Ned 
Dore  again." 

"  Oh,  Tom  !  Tom  !  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  father's 
gone  !  "  I  cried  out. 

"  I'd  sooner  have  lost  another  leg  than  have  to  say  it," 
answered  the  old  man.  "But  it  must  be  said  notwith- 
standing, and  now  how  are  we  to  tell  mother  ?  " 

I  could  not  answer,  but  kept  repeating  to  myself,  "  Gone! 
gone  !  father  gone  !  "  as  Tom  led  me  on  to  the  house.  We 
met  the  boy  with  the  physic  at  the  door. 

"Let  Nancy  give  her  the  stuff  first,"  said  the  old  man, 
I  thoughtfully ;  "  maybe  it  will  give  her  strength,  and  help 
her  to  bear  the  bad  news." 

Nancy  took  in  the  bottles,  while  Tom  ard  I  remained 
outside.  After  some  time  she  came  out  and  told  Tom  that 
mother  wanted  to  see  him.  He  went  in,  shaking  all  over 
so  much  that  I  thought  he  would  have  fallen.  I  followed, 
when,  seeing  Mary,  I  threw  my  arms  round  her  neck  and 
burst  into  tears.  She  guessed  what  had  happened  even 
before  I  told  her.  We  sat  down,  holding  each  other's 
hands  and  crying  together,  while  Tom  went  in  to  see 
mother.  What  he  said  I  do  not  know,  though  I  am  sure 


A  Sad  Chapter  in  my  Life.  27 

he  tried  to  break  the  news  to  her  as  gently  as  he  could. 
When  she  saw  the  hat,  which  he  still  held  in  his  hand,  she 
knew  that  father  was  lost.  She  did  not  go  off  into  fits, 
as  Tom  afterwards  told  me  he  thought  she  would,  but  re- 
mained terribly  calm,  and  just  bade  him  describe  to  her  all 
that  he  knew. 

"  I  mustn't  give  in,"  she  said  at  length,  "  I  have  the  chil- 
dren to  look  after,  for  if  I  was  to  go  what  would  become  of 
them?" 

"While  I'm  able  to  work  they  shan't  want,  missus," 
answered  Tom,  firmly. 

"  I  know  what  you'd  wish  to  do,  Tom;  but  there's  one 
thing  won't  let  you :  that  thing  is  liquor,"  said  mother. 

"  Then  I'll  never  touch  another  drop  as  long  as  I  live, 
missus  !  "  exclaimed  Tom.  "  May  God  help  me  !" 

"  He  will  help  you,  Tom,  if  you  ask  Him,"  said  mother  ; 
"  ar.d  I  hope  that,  whether  I  live  or  die,  you'll  keep  to  that 
resolution." 

I  believe  that  conversation  with  Tom  did  mother  much 
good ;  it  took  her  off  from  thinking  of  father.  She  was 
still,  however,  very  ill,  and  had  to  keep  her  bed.  The 
doctor  came  again  and  again  ;  generally  twice  a  day.  He 
of  course  had  to  be  paid,  and  a  good  deal  too.  There  was 
nothing  coining  in,  and  poor  mother  became  more  and  more 
anxious  to  get  out  and  attend  to  her  business.  The  doctor 
warned  her  that  she  would  go  at  great  risk — indeed,  that 
she  was  not  fit  to  leave  her  bed.  "  She  had  no  money  left 
to  pay  for  food  and  rent  and  the  doctor's  bill,"  she  answered, 
and  go  she  must.  Though  she  had  no  money,  she  had, 
however,  ample  credit  to  stock  her  bumboat. 

Very  unwillingly  Nancy  assisted  her  to  dress.  Out  she 
would  go,  taking  me  with  her  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  the 
articles  she  required.  People  remarked  on  her  changed 
luoks,  and  some  did  not  even  know  her.  She  acknowledged 


28  Peter  Trawl. 

that  she  was  very  tired  when  we  got  home,  but  declared  that 
she  should  be  the  better  for  going  on  the  water. 

The  next  morning  old  Tom  had  his  boat  ready.  "  I  do 
wish,  missus,  that  you'd  stayed  at  home  a  few  days  longer," 
he  remarked,  looking  at  her.  "  Howsomedever,  as  you've 
come,  I  hopes  you'll  just  take  what  I  say  kindly,  and  not 
be  from  home  longer  than  you  can  help.  There's  dirty 
weather  coming  up  from  the  south-west" 

Tom  was  right.  We  had  two  ships  to  visit.  Before  we 
got  alongside  the  second  down  came  the  rain.  But  mother 
would  go  on,  and  consequently  got  wet  through.  Tom  was 
very  unhappy,  but  she  said  that  she  had  done  a  good  trade, 
and  that  no  harm  would  come  of  .it.  Unhappily  she  was 
mistaken;  that  night  she  was  taken  very  ill — worse  than 
before.  I  fetched  the  doctor;  he  shook  his  head  and  said 
he  wouldn't  answer  for  what  might  happen.  Faithful  Nancy 
was  half  distracted.  Poor  mother  got  worse  and  worse. 
At  last  one  day  she  beckoned  with  her  pale  hand  to  Mary 
and  me  to  come  to  her  bedside. 

"  I  know  that  I  am  going  to  be  taken  from  you,  my 
dears,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice,  for  she  could  not  speak 
loud.  "I  want  you  to  promise  me  to  be  true  to  each  other, 
to  do  your  duty  in  God's  sight,  and  always  to  ask  Him  to 
help  you." 

"  I  do,  mother — I  do  promise,"  said  Mary,  the  tears 
dropping  from  her  eyes. 

She  could  scarcely  speak  for  sobbing. 

I  promise,  too,  mother,  that  I  do !  "  I  exclaimed,  in 
a  firmer  voice ;  and  I  sincerely  intended  to  fulfil  my 
promise. 

Mother  was  holding  our  hands  in  hers.  She  said  much 
more  to  us,  anxious  to  give  us  all  the  advice  in  her  power. 
Nancy  came  in  with  her  medicine,  after  which  she  rallied, 
and  bade  us  go  to  bed. 


A  Sad  Chapter  in  my  Life.  29 

I  was  awakened  early  in  the  morning  by  hearing  Nancy 
cry  out, 

"  Run  for  the  doctor,  Peter  !  run  for  the  doctor  !  Missus 
is  taken  worse." 

I  slipped  into  my  clothes,  and  was  off  like  a  shot,  without 
asking  a  question,  or  even  looking  into  mother's  room. 

I  rang  the  night-bell,  for  no  one  was  up.  At  last  the 
servant  opened  the  door,  and  said  she  would  call  her 
master. 

Mr.  Jones  soon  appeared.  He  had  been  paid  regularly, 
and  when  he  saw  me  he  was  the  more  ready  to  come. 
Eager  as  I  was  to  get  back,  I  did  not  like  to  run  ahead  of 
him  ;  and,  to  do  him  justice,  he  exerted  himself  to  walk  as 
fast  as  his  breath  would  allow  him. 

He  asked  me  several  questions ;  then  I  told  him  that 
mother  had  been  again  out  bumming. 

"  Bad — very  bad.     I  told  her  not  to  go.     A  relapse  is  a 
serious  matter,"  he  remarked,  panting  and  puffing  between 
his  sentences.     "  However,  we  must  try  what  can  be  done." 
Mary  met  us  at  the  door. 

"  Mother  has  been  breathing  very  hard  since  you  went, 
Peter,"  she  said,  "  but  she  is  quite  quiet  now." 

The  doctor's  face  looked  very  serious  when  he  heard 
this.  He  hurried  into  the  room. 

"  I  thought  so,"  I  heard  him  remark  to  Nancy.  "I  could 
have  done  nothing  if  you  had  sent  for  me  hours  ago.  The 
woman  is  dead." 

"Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  what  shall  I  do?"  cried  Nancy, 
sobbing  bitterly. 

"  The  sooner  you  let  any  friends  the  children  may  have 
know  what  has  happened  the  better,  and  then  send  for  the 
undertaker,"  answered  Mr.  Jones.  "  The  boy  is  sharp — 
he'll  run  your  errands.  I  can  do  no  more  than  certify  the 
cause  of  death." 


3O  Peter  Trawl 

He  hurried  away  without  bestowing  a  look  at  Mary  and 
me,  as  we  stood  holding  each  other's  hands,  unable  as  yet 
to  realise  the  fact  that  we  were  orphans.  He  had  so  many 
poor  patients  that  he  could  not  afford,  I  suppose,  to  exercise 
his  compassionate  feelings.  Even  when  Nancy  afterwards 
took  us  in  to  see  mother's  body,  I  would  scarcely  believe 
that  she  herself  had  been  taken  from  us. 

I  will  not  stop  to  speak  of  Mary's  and  my  grief. 

At  last  Nancy,  her  eyes  red  with  crying,  sat  down,  with 
her  hands  pressed  against  her  head,  to  consider  what  was 
to  be  done. 

"  Why,  I  ought  to  have  sent  for  him  at  once  ! "  she  sud- 
denly exclaimed.  "  Peter,  run  and  find  Tom  Swatridge, 
and  tell  him  that  poor  missus  has  gone." 

I  needed  no  second  bidding,  and,  thankful  to  have  some- 
thing to  do,  I  started  away. 

On  reaching  the  Hard,  where  I  expected  to  find  old  Tom, 
I  heard  from  some  of  the  watermen  that  he  had  gone  off 
with  a  fare  to  Gosport,  so  I  had  to  wait  for  his  return. 
Many  of  the  men  standing  about  asked  me  after  mother, 
and  seemed  very  sorry  to  hear  of  her  death.  I  saw  them 
talking  earnestly  together  while  I  waited  for  Tom.  Others 
joined  them,  and  then  went  away,  so  that  the  news  soon 
spread  about  our  part  of  the  town.  I  had  to  wait  a  long 
time,  till  old  Tom  came  back  with  several  persons  in  his 
boat  He  pocketed  their  fares,  touching  his  hat  to  each 
before  he  took  any  notice  of  me. 

"What  cheer,  Peter?  How's  the  missus?"  he  asked, 
stepping  on  shore  and  dropping  the  kedge  to  make  fast  his 
boat.  "  I  feared  she  wouldn't  be  up  to  bumming  to-day." 

"  Mother's  dead,"  I  answered. 

"  Dead  !  the  missus  dead ! "  he  exclaimed,  clapping  his 
hand  to  his  brow,  and  looking  fixedly  at  me.  "  The  Lord 
have  mercy  on  us ! " 


A   Sad  Chapter  in  my  Life.  31 

"  Nancy  wants  you,  Tom,"  I  said. 

"  I'm  coming,  Peter,  I'm  coming.  I  said  I'd  be  a  father 
to  you  and  Mary,  and  I  will,  please  God,"  he  replied, 
recovering  himself. 

He  took  my  hand,  and  stumped  away  towards  our  house. 

"  Dick  Porter,  look  after  my  boat,  will  ye,  till  I  comes 
back?"  he  said  to  one  of  the  men  on  the  Hard  as  we 
harried  by. 

"Ay,  ay,"  was  the  cheerful  answer — for  Dick  knew  where 
old  Tom  was  going. 

Not  a  word  did  the  old  man  speak  all  the  way.  When 
we  got  to  the  house,  what  was  my  astonishment  to  find  a 
number  of  people  in  the  sitting-room,  one  of  whom,  with 
note-book  in  hand,  was  making  an  inventory  of  the  furniture ! 
Mary  was  sitting  in  a  corner  crying,  and  Nancy  was  looking 
as  if  she  had  a  mind  to  try  and  turn  them  all  out.  As  soon 
as  Mary  saw  me  she  jumped  up  and  took  my  hand. 

"  What's  all  this  about  ? "  exclaimed  old  Tom,  in  an  in- 
dignant tone.  "You  might  have  stopped,  whatever  right 
you  may  have  here,  till  the  dead  woman  was  carried  to  her 
grave,  I'm  thinking." 

"  And  others  had  carried  off  the  goods,"  answered  the 
man  with  the  note-book.  "  We  are  only  acting  according 
to  law.  Mrs.  Trawl  has  run  into  debt  on  all  sides,  and 
when  the  goods  are  sold  there  won't  be  five  shillings  in  the 
pound  to  pay  them,  that  I  can  see,  so  her  children  must 
take  the  consequences.  There's  the  workhouse  for  them." 

"  The  work'us,  do  ye  say  ?  Mrs.  Trawl's  children  sent  to 
the  work'us  ! "  exclaimed  old  Tom,  and  he  rapped  out  an 
expression  which  I  need  not  repeat.  "  Not  while  this  here 
hand  can  pull  an  oar  and  I've  a  shiner  in  my  pocket.  If 
you've  got  the  law  on  your  side,  do  as  the  law  lets  you. 
But  all  I  can  say  is,  that  it's  got  no  bowels  of  compassion  in 
it,  to  allow  the  orphans  to  be  turned  out  of  house  and  home. 


32  Peter  Trawl. 

and  the  breath  scarce  out  of  their  mother's  body.  Nincy, 
do  you  pack  up  the  children's  clothes,  and  any  school-books 
or  play -tilings  you  can  find,  and  then  come  along  to  my 
house.  The  law  can't  touch  them,  I  suppose." 

"  What  is  that  drunken  old  Swatridge  talking  about  ?  *' 
said  one  of  the  broker's  men. 

Tom  heard  him. 

"  Such  I  may  have  been,  but  I'll  be  no  longer  '  drunken 
old  Swatridge'  while  I  have  these  children  to  look  after,"  he 
exclaimed ;  and  giving  one  hand  to  Mary  and  the  other  to 
me,  he  led  us  out  of  the  house. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  FEARFUL  CATASTROPHE. 

LEAVING  Nancy,  who  could  well  hold  her  own,  to 
battle  with  the  broker's  men,  Tom,  holding  Mary  by 
the  hand,  and  I  walked  on  till  we  came  to  his  house,  which 
I  knew  well,  having  often  been  there  to  call  him.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  small  rooms — a  parlour,  and  little  inner  bed- 
chamber, and  was  better  furnished  than  might  have  been 
expected ;  yet  old  Tom  had  at  one  time  made  a  good  deal 
of  money,  and  had  expended  a  portion  of  it  in  fitting  up  his 
dwelling.  Had  he  always  been  sober  he  would  now  have 
been  comfortably  off. 

"  Stay  here,  my  dears,  while  I  go  out  for  a  bit,"  he  said, 
bidding  us  sit  down  on  an  old  sea-chest  on  one  side  of  the 
fireplace.  "  I  haven't  got  much  to  amuse  you,  but  here's 
the  little  craft  I  cut  out  for  you,  Peter,  and  you  can  go  on 
rigging  her  as  I've  been  doing.  No  matter  if  you  don't  do 
it  all  ship-shape.  And  here,  Mary,  is  the  stuff  for  the  sails ; 
I've  shaped  them,  you  see,  and  if  you  will  hem  them  you'll 
help  us  finely  to  get  the  craft  ready  for  sea." 

Mary  gladly  undertook  the  task  allotted  to  her,  and  even 
smiled  as  Tom  handed  out  a  huge  housewife  full  of  needles 
and  thread  and  buttons,  and  odds  and  ends  of  all  sorts. 

"  My  thimble  won't  suit  your  finger,  I've  a  notion,  my 
little  maid,"  he  observed ;  "but  I  dare  say  you've  got  one 
of  your  own  in  your  pocket.  Feel  for  it,  will  you  ?  " 

3 


34  Peter  Trawl. 

Mary  produced  a  thimble,  six  of  which  would  have  fitted 
into  Tom's. 

"  Ay,  I  thought  so,"  he  said,  and  seeing  us  both  busily 
employed,  he  hurried  out  of  the  house.  He  soon,  however, 
returned,  bringing  a  couple  of  plum  buns  for  Mary,  and 
some  bread  and  cheese  for  me,  with  a  small  jug  of  milk. 
"  There,  my  dears,  that'll  stay  your  hunger  till  Nancy  comes 
to  cook  some  supper  for  you,  and  to  put  things  to  rights," 
he  said,  as  he  placed  them  before  us.  "  Good-bye.  I'll  be 
back  again  as  soon  as  I  can,"  and  off  he  went  once  more. 

Mary  and  I,  having  eaten  the  provisions .  he  brought  in, 
worked  away  diligently,  thankful  to  have  some  employment 
to  occupy  our  attention.  But  she  stopped  every  now  and 
then,  when  her  eyes  were  too  full  of  tears  to  allow  her  to  see 
her  needle,  and  sobbed  as  if  her  dear  heart  would  break. 
Then  on  she  went  again,  sewing  as  fast  as  she  could,  anxious 
to  please  old  Tom  by  showing  him  how  much  she  had  done. 
At  length  Nancy  arrived  with  a  big  bundle  on  her  back. 
"  I've  brought  away  all  I  could,"  she  said,  as  she  deposited 
her  load  on  the  floor.  "  I'd  a  hard  job  to  get  them,  and 
shouldn't  at  all,  if  Tom  Swatridge  and  two  other  men  hadn't 
come  in  and  said  they'd  be  answerable  if  everything  wasn't 
all  square.  He  and  they  were  ordering  all  about  the  funeral, 
and  I've  got  two  women  to  stay  with  the  missus  till  she's 
put  all  comfortable  into  her  coffin.  Alack !  alack  !  that  I 
should  have  to  talk  about  her  coffin ! "  Nancy's  feelings 
overcame  her.  On  recovering,  she,  without  loss  of  time, 
began  to  busy  herself  with  household  duties — lighted  the 
fire,  put  the  kettle  on  to  boil,  and  made  up  old  Tom's  bed 
with  some  fresh  sheets  which  she  had  brought.  "  You  and 
I  are  to  sleep  here,  Mary,"  she  said,  "  and  Peter  is  to  have 
a  shakedown  in  the  sitting-room." 

"  And  where  is  Tom  going  to  put  up  himself?  "  I  asked. 

"  That's  what  he  didn't  say,  but  I  fancy  he's  going  to  stay 


A  Fearful  Catastrophe.  35 

at  night  with  an  old  chum  who  has  a  room  near  here.  He 
said  his  place  isn't  big  enough  for  us  all,  and  so  he'd  made 
up  his  mind  to  turn  out" 

Such  I"  found  to  be  the  case.  Nothing  would  persuade 
our  friend  to  sleep  in  his  own  house,  for  fear  of  crowding  us. 
He  and  several  other  watermen,  old  shipmates,  and  friends 
of  father's,  had  agreed  to  defray  the  expenses  of  mother's 
funeral,  for  otherwise  she  would  have  been  carried  to  a 
pauper's  grave.  Her  furniture  and  all  the  property  she  had 
possessed  were  not  sufficient  to  pay  her  debts  contracted 
during  her  illness,  in  spite  of  all  her  exertions.  We,  too, 
had  not  Tom  taken  charge  of  us,  should  have  been  sent  to 
the  workhouse,  and  Nancy  would  have  been  turned  out  into 
the  world  to  seek  her  fortune,  for  her  mother  was  dead,  and 
she  had  no  other  relatives.  She  did  talk  of  trying  to  get 
into  service,  which  meant  becoming  a  drudge  in  a  small 
tradesman's  family,  that  she  might  help  us  with  her  wages ; 
but  she  could  not  bring  herself  to  leave  Mary;  and 
Tom,  indeed,  said  she  must  stay  to  look  after  her.  As 
father  had  had  no  funeral,  his  old  friends  wished  to  show 
all  the  respect  in  their  power  to  his  widow,  and  a  score  or 
more  attended,  some  carrying  the  coffin,  and  others  walking 
two  and  two  behind,  with  bits  of  black  crape  round  their 
hats  and  arms,  while  Mary  and  I,  and  Nancy  and  Tom, 
followed  as  chief  mourners  all  the  way  to  Kingston  Cemetery. 
Nancy,  with  the  help  of  a  friend,  a  poor  seamstress,  had 
managed  to  make  a  black  frock  for  Mary  and  a  dress  for 
herself,  out  of  mother's  gown,  I  suspect.  They  were  not 
very  scientifically  cut,  but  she  had  sat  up  all  night  stitching 
at  them,  which  showed  her  affection  and  her  desire  to  do 
what  she  considered  proper. 

Some  weeks  had  passed  since  mother's  death,  and  we 
were  getting  accustomed  to  our  mode  of  life.  Tom  sent 
Mary  to  a  school  near  at  hand  every  morning,  and  she  used 


36  Peter  Trawl. 

to  impart  the  knowledge  she  obtained  to  me  in  the  evening, 
including  sometimes  even  sewing. 

During  the  time  Mary  was  at  school  Nancy  went  out 
charing,  or  tending  the  neighbours'  children,  or  doing  any 
other  odd  jobs  of  which  she  was  capable,  thus  gaining 
enough  to  support  herself,  for  she  declared  that  she  could 
not  be  beholden  to  the  old  man  for  her  daily  food.  I 
always  went  out  with  Tom  in  his  boat,  and  I  was  now  big 
enough  to  make  myself  very  useful.  He  used  to  make  me 
take  the  helm  when  we  were  sailing,  and  by  patiently  ex- 
plaining how  the  wind  acted  on  the  canvas,  and  showing  me 
the  reason  of  every  manoeuvre,  soon  taught  me  to  manage  a 
boat  as  well  as  any  man  could  do,  so  that  when  the  wind 
was  light  I  could  go  out  by  myself  without  the  slightest  fear. 

"  You'll  do,  Peter ;  you'll  do,"  said  the  old  man,  ap- 
provingly, when  one  day  I  had  taken  the  boat  out  to  Spit- 
head  alongside  a  vessel  and  back,  he  sitting  on  a  thwart 
with  his  arms  folded,  and  not  touching  a  rope,  though  he 
occasionally  peered  under  the  foot  of  the  foresail  to  see  that 
I  was  steering  right,  and  used  the  boathook  when  we  were 
going  alongside  the  vessel,  and  shoving  off,  which  I  should 
have  had  to  do  if  he  had  been  steering.  "  You'll  now  be  able 
to  gain  your  living,  boy,  and  support  Mary  till  she's  old  enough 
to  go  out  to  service,  if  I'm  taken  from  you,  and  that's  what 
I've  been  aiming  at." 

Often  when  going  along  the  Hard  a  friend  would  ask 
him  to  step  into  one  of  the  many  publics  facing  it  to  take  a 
glass  of  spirits  or  beer.  "  No  thank  ye,  mate,"  he  would 
reply;  "  if  I  get  the  taste  of  one  I  shall  be  wanting  another, 
and  I  shouldn't  be  happy  if  I  didn't  treat  you  in  return,  and 
I've  got  something  else  to  do  with  my  money  instead  of 
spending  it  on  liquor." 

I  never  saw  him  angry  except  when  hard  pressed  by  an 
ill-judging  friend  to  step  into  a  public-house. 


A  Fearful  Catastrophe.  37 

"Would  you  like  to  see  Jack  Trawl's  son  in  a  ragged 
shirt,  without  shoes  to  his  feet,  and  his  daughter  a  beggar- 
girl,  or  something  worse  ?  Then  don't  be  asking  me,  mate, 
to  take  a  drop  of  the  poisonous  stuff.  I  know  what  I  used 
to  be,  and  I  know  what  I  should  be  again  if  I  was  to  listen 
to  you!"  he  exclaimed.  "Stand  out  of  my  way,  now! 
stand  out  of  my  way  !  Come  along,  Peter,"  and,  grasping  my 
hand  with  a  gripe  which  made  my  fingers  crack,  he  stumped 
along  the  Hard  as  fast  as  he  could  move  his  timber  toe. 

It  was  a  pleasure  on  getting  home  to  find  Mary  looking 
bright  and  cheerful,  with  her  work  or  books  before  her,  and 
Nancy  busy  preparing  supper.  The  old  man  and  I  always 
took  our  dinner  with  us — generally  a  loaf  of  bread,  with  a 
piece  of  cheese  or  bacon  or  fried  fish,  and  sometimes  Irish 
stew  in  a  basin,  done  up  in  a  cloth,  and  a  stone  bottle  of 
water.  I  remember  saying  that  I  was  born  with  a  wooden 
spoon  in  my  mouth,  but  when  I  come  to  reflect  what  ex- 
cellent parents  I  had,  and  what  true  friends  I  found  in  Tom 
Swatridge  and  Nancy,  I  may  say  that,  after  all,  it  must  have 
been  of  silver,  though  perhaps  not  quite  so  p  jlished  as  those 
found  in  the  mouths  of  some  infants. 

Another  change  in  my  life  was  about  to  occur.  We  had 
taken  off  a  gentleman  from  Gosport.  From  his  way  of 
speaking,  we  found  that  he  was  a  foreigner,  and  he  told  us 
that  he  wanted  to  be  put  on  board  a  foreign  ship  lying  at 
Spithead. 

"Is  dere  any  danger?"  he  asked,  looking  out  across  the 
Channel,  and  thinking  what  a  long  distance  he  had  to  go. 

"  Not  a  bit,  sir,"  answered  Tom,  for  the  water  was  as 
smooth  as  a  mill-pond.  There  was  a  light  air  from  the  south- 
ward, and  there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky.  "  We  might 
cross  the  Channel  to  France  for  that  matter,  with  weather 
like  this." 

'•  Oh  no,  no  !  I  only  want  to  get  to  dat  sheep  out  dere  !" 


38  Peter  Trawl. 

cried  the  foreigner,  fancying  that  we  might  carry  him  across 
against  his  will. 

"Certainly,  mounseer;  we'll  put  you  aboard  in  a  jiffy  as 
soon  as  we  gets  a  breeze  to  help  us  along,"  said  Tom. 

We  pulled  round  Blockhouse  Point,  along  shore,  till  we 
came  off  Fort  Monkton,  when  opening  Stokes  Bay,  the  wind 
hauling  a  little  to  the  westward,  we  made  sail  and  stood  for 
Spithead.  A  number  of  vessels  were  brought  up  there,  and 
at  the  Mother-bank,  off  Ryde,  among  them  a  few  men-of- 
war,  but  mostly  merchantmen,  outward  bound,  or  lately 
come  in  waiting  for  orders.  It  was  difficult  as  yet  to  dis- 
tinguish the  craft  the  foreigner  wanted  to  be  put  aboard. 

"  It  won't  matter  if  we  have  to  dodge  about  a  little  to  find 
her,  mounseer,  for  one  thing's  certain  :  we  couldn't  have  a 
finer  day  for  a  sail,"  observed  old  Tom,  as  we  glided 
smoothly  over  the  blue  water,  shining  brightly  in  the  rays 
of  the  unclouded  sun. 

He  gave  me  the  helm  while  he  looked  out  for  the  foreign 
ship. 

"  That's  her,  I've  a  notion,"  he  said  at  length,  pointing  to 
a  deep-waisted  craft  with  a  raised  poop  and  forecastle,  and 
with  much  greater  beam  than  our  own  wall-sided  merchant- 
men. "  Keep  her  away  a  bit,  Peter.  Steady  !  That  will  do." 

The  tide  was  running  to  the  westward,  so  that  we  were 
some  time  getting  up  to  the  ship. 

"  You'll  be  aboard  presently,  if  that  is  your  ship,  as  I 
suppose,  mounseer,"  said  Tom. 

"Yes,  yes;  dat  is  my  sheep,"  answered  the  foreigner, 
fumbling  in  his  pockets,  I  fancied,  for  his  purse. 

He  uttered  an  exclamation  of  annoyance.  "  Ma  monie 
gone  !  Some  villain  take  it,  no  doubte.  You  come  aboard 
de  sheep,  and  I  vill  give  it  you,  my  friend,"  he  said.  "  One 
half  guinea  is  de  charge,  eh  ?  I  have  also  letter  to  write ; 
you  take  it  and  I  vill  give  two  shillings  more." 


AN    AWFUL   SCENE. 


3V- 


A  Fearful  Catastrophe.  39 

"All  right,  mounseer,  I  will  wait  your  pleasure,  and 
promise  to  post  your  letter,"  answered  Tom. 

As  there  were  several  boats  alongside,  he  told  me  to 
keep  under  weigh  till  he  should  hail  me  to  come  for  him,  and 
as  he  was  as  active  as  any  man,  in  spite  of  his  wooden  leg, 
taking  the  foreigner  by  the  hand,  he  helped  him  up  on 
deck.  I  then  hauled  the  tacks  aboard  and  stood  off  to  a 
little  distance.  I  waited  and  waited,  watching  the  ship,  and 
wondering  why  Tom  was  so  long  on  board. 

The  wind  at  last  began  to  drop,  and  afraid  of  being 
carried  to  leeward,  I  was  on  the  point  of  running  up  along- 
side when  I  heard  a  fearful  roaring  thundering  sound.  A 
cloud  of  black  smoke  rose  above  the  ship,  followed  by  lurid 
flames,  which  burst  ouir  at  all  her  ports ;  her  tall  masts  were 
shot  into  the  air,  her  deck  was  cast  upwards,  her  sides  were 
rent  asunder;  and  shattered  fragments  of  planks,  and  of 
timbers  and  spars,  and  blocks,  and  all  sorts  of  articles  from 
the  hold,  came  flying  round  me.  I  instinctively  steered 
away  from  the  danger,  and  though  huge  pieces  of  burning 
wreck  fell  hissing  into  the  water  on  either  side,  and  far 
beyond  where  I  was,  none  of  any  size  touched  the  wherry. 
For  a  minute  or  more  I  was  so  confounded  by  the  awful 
occurrence  that  I  did  not  think  of  my  old  friend.  I  scarcely 
knew  where  I  was  or  what  I  was  doing.  The  moment  I 
recovered  my  presence  of  mind  1  put  the  boat  about,  getting 
out  an  oar  to  help  her  along,  and  stood  back  towards  the 
burning  wreck,  which  appeared  for  a  moment  like  a  vast 
pyramid  of  flame  rising  above  the  surface,  and  then  sud- 
denly disappeared  as  the  waters  closed  over  the  shattered 
hull. 

I  stood  up,  eagerly  gazing  towards  the  spot  to  ascertain 
if  any  human  beings  had  survived  the  dreadful  catastrophe, 
though  it  seemed  to  me  impossible  that  a  single  person 
could  have  escaped.  One  boat  alone  was  afloat  with  some 


4O  Peter  Trawl. 

people  in  her,  but  they  were  sitting  on  the  thwarts  or  lying 
at  the  bottom,  not  attempting  to  exert  themselves,  all  more 
or  less  injured.  The  other  boats  had  been  dragged  down, 
as  the  ship  sank.  All  about  were  shattered  spars  and  pieces 
of  the  deck,  and  some  way  off  the  masts  with  the  yards  still 
fast  to  them.  Here  and  there  was  a  body  floating  with  the 
head  or  a  limb  torn  off.  One  man  was  swimming,  and  I  i 
saw  another  in  the  distance  clinging  to  a  spar,  but  the 
former  before  I  could  get  up  to  him  sank  without  a  cry,  and  I 
then  steered  for  the  man  on  the  spar,  hoping  against  hope 
that  he  might  be  old  Tom.  I  shouted  to  him  that  he  might 
know  help  was  coming,  but  he  did  not  answer.  Meantime 
boats  from  the  various  ships  lying  around  were  approaching. 
I  plied  my  oar  with  all  my  might,  fearing  that  the  man  I 
have  spoken  of  might  let  go  his  hold  and  be  lost  like  the 
other  before  I  could  reach  him.  The  nearer  I  got  the  more 
I  feared  that  he  was  not  Tom.  His  fice  was  blackened,  his 
clothes  burnt  and  torn.  Then  I  saw  that  he  had  two  legs, 
and  knew  for  certain  that  he  was  not  my  old  friend.  Still, 
of  course,  I  continued  on  till  I  got  up  to  the  spar,  when  I 
tried  to  help  the  poor  man  into  my  boat,  for  he  was  too 
much  hurt  to  get  on  board  by  himself.  But  my  strength 
was  insufficient  for  the  purpose,  and  I  was  afraid  of  letting 
go  lest  he  should  sink  and  be  lost.  There  was  no  small 
risk  also  of  my  being  dragged  overboard.  Still,  I  did  my 
best,  but  could  get  him  no  higher  than  the  gunwale. 

"  Well  done,  youngster  !  Hold  fast,  and  we'll  help  you," 
I  heard  a  voice  sing  out,  and  presently  a  man-of-war's  boat 
dashing  up,  two  of  her  crew  springing  into  the  wherry 
quickly  hauled  the  man  on  board. 

"  We  must  take  him  to  our  ship,  lads,  to  let  the  surgeon 
attend  to  him,"  said  the  officer,  a  master's  mate  in  charge  of 
the  man-of-war's  boat. 

The  man  was  accordingly  lifted  into  her.     It  appeared  to 


A  Fearful  Catastrophe.  41 

me,  from  his  sad  condition,  that  the  surgeon  would  be 
nnnble  to  do  him  any  good. 

"  What,  did  you  come  out  here  all  by  yourself,  youngster?  " 
asked  the  officer. 

"  No,  sir,  I  came  out  with  old  Tom  Swatridge,  who  went 
on  board  the  ship  which  blew  up,"  I  answered. 

"  Then  I  fear  he  must  have  been  blown  up  with  her,  my 
lad,"  said  the  officer. 

"  I  hope  not,  sir,  I  hope  not,"  I  cried  out,  my  heart  ready 
to  break  as  I  began  to  realise  that  such  might  be  the  case. 


CHAPTER  V. 
A  FRIEND  LOST  AND  A  FRIEND  GAINED. 

IT  seemed  but  a  moment  since  the  ship  blew  up.  I 
could  not  believe  that  old  Tom  had  perished. 

"  Some  people  have  been  picked  up  out  there,  sir,  I 
think,"  observed  the  coxswain  to  the  officer,  pointing  as  he 
spoke  to  several  boats  surrounding  the  one  I  had  before 
remarked  with  the  injured  men  in  her.  "  Maybe  the  old 
man  the  lad  speaks  of  is  among  them." 

"  Make  the  wherry  fast  astern,  and  we'll  pull  on  and 
ascertain,"  said  the  officer. 

"If  he  is  not  found,  or  if  found  is  badly  hurt,  I'll  get 
leave  for  a  couple  of  hands  to  help  you  back  with  your  boat 
to  Portsmouth." 

"  I  can  take  her  back  easily  enough  by  myself  if  the  wind 
holds  as  it  does  now;  thank  you  all  the  same,  sir,"  I 
answered. 

I  felt,  indeed,  that  if  my  faithful  friend  really  was  lost, 
which  I  could  scarcely  yet  believe,  I  would  rather  be 
alone;  and  I  had  no  fear  about  managing  the  wherry 
single-handed. 

As  may  be  supposed,  my  anxiety  became  intense  as  we 
approached  the  boat.  "  Is  old  Tom  Swatridge  saved?"  I 
shouted  out. 

No  answer  came. 

"Tom  !  tell  me,  Tom,  if  you  are  there! "  I  again  shouted. 


A  Friend  Lost  and  a  Friend  Gained.       43 

"  Step  aboard  the  boat  and  see  if  your  friend  is  among 
the  injured  men,"  said  the  good-natured  officer,  assisting 
me  to  get  alongside. 

I  eagerly  scanned  the  blackened  faces  of  the  men  sitting 
up,  all  of  whom  had  been  more  or  less  scorched  or  burnt. 
A  surgeon  who  had  come  off  from  one  of  the  ships  was 
attending  to  them.  They  were  strangers  to  me.  T\vo 
others  lay  dead  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  but  neither  of 
them  was  old  Tom.  He  was  gone;  of  that  I  could  no 
longer  have  a  doubt. 

With  a  sad  heart  I  returned  to  the  wherry.  The  other 
boats  had  not  succeeded  in  saving  any  of  the  hapless  crew. 
The  ship  had  been  loaded  with  arms  and  gunpowder,  bound 
for  South  America,  I  heard  some  one  say. 

"  Cheer  up,  my  lad  !"  said  the  officer;  "  you  must  come 
aboard  the  Lapwing,  and  we'll  then  send  you  into  Portsmouth, 
as  we  must  have  this  poor  fellow  looked  to  by  our  surgeon 
before  he  is  taken  to  the  hospital." 

The  name  of  the  Lapwing  aroused  me  ;  she  was  the  brig 
in  which  my  brother  Jack  had  gone  to  sea.  For  a  moment 
I  forgot  my  heavy  loss  with  the  thoughts  that  I  might 
presently  see  dear  Jack  again.  But  it  was  only  for  a 
moment.  As  I  sat  steering  the  wherry  towed  by  the  man- 
of-war's  boat  my  eyes  filled  with  tears.  What  sad  news  I 
had  to  give  to  Jack  !  What  would  become  of  Mary  and 
Nanry?  For  myself  I  did  not  care,  as  I  knew  that  I  could 
obtain  employment  at  home,  or  could  go  to  sea;  but  then 
I  could  not  hope  for  a  long  time  to  come  to  make  enough 
to  support  them.  My  chief  feeling,  however,  was  grief  at 
the  loss  of  my  true-hearted  old  friend. 

Soon  after  we  got  alongside  the  brig  of  war  the  master's 
mate  told  me  to  come  up  on  deck,  while  one  of  the  men 
took  charge  of  the  wherry.  He  at  once  led  me  aft  to 
the  commander,  who  questioned  me  as  to  how  I  came  to  be 


44  Peter  Ttawl. 

in  the  wherry  by  myself.     I  described  to  him  all  that  had 
happened. 

"  You  acted  a  brave  part  in  trying  to  save  the  man  from 
the  ship  which  blew  up.  Indeed,  had  you  not  held  on  to 
him  he  would  have  been  lost,"  he  observed.  "  I  must  see 
that  you  are  rewarded.  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  Peter  Trawl,  sir,"  I  answered,  and,  eager  to  see  Jack, 
for  whom  I  had  been  looking  out  since  I  got  out  of  the  boat, 
thinking  that  we  should  know  each  other,  I  added,  "  I 
have  a  brother,  sir,  who  went  to  sea  aboard  this  brig,  and 
we  have  been  looking  out  for  him  ever  so  long  to  come 
home.  Please,  sir,  can  I  go  and  find  him  ?  " 

The  commander's  countenance  assumed  a  look  of  concern. 
"  Poor  fellow !  I  wish  that  he  was  on  board  for  his  sake  and 
yours,  my  lad,"  he  answered.  "I  cannot  say  positively  that 
he  is  dead,  but  I  have  too  much  reason  to  believe  that  he 
is.  While  we  were  cruising  among  the  islands  of  the  East 
Indian  Archipelago  he  formed  one  of  a  boat's  crew  which 
was,  while  at  a  distance  from  the  ship,  attacked  by  a  large 
body  of  Malay  pirates.  When  we  got  up  we  found  only  one 
man,  mortally  wounded,  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  who 
before  he  died  said  that,  to  the  best  of  his  belief,  the  officer 
in  charge  and  the  rest  of  the  men  had  been  killed,  as  he  had 
seen  several  dragged  on  board  the  proas,  and  then  hacked 
to  pieces  and  hove  overboard. 

"  We  chased  and  sank  some  of  the  pirate  fleet,  and  made 
every  possible  search  for  the  missing  men,  in  case  any  of 
them  should  have  escaped  on  shore,  to  which  they  were 
close  at  the  time  of  the  attack,  but  no  traces  of  them  could 
be  discovered.  I  left  an  account  of  the  occurrence  with  the 
vessel  which  relieved  me  on  the  station,  and  should  any  of 
the  poor  fellows  have  been  found  I  should  have  been  in- 
formed of  it  It  was  my  intention,  as  soon  as  I  was  paid 
off  the  LapKn'ng,  to  come  down  to  Portsmouth  to  break  the 


A  Friend  Lost  and  a  Friend  Gained.       45 

news  to  his  father.  Say  this  from  me,  and  that  I  yet  hope 
to  see  him  shortly." 

Commander  Rogers  seemed  very  sorry  when  I  told  him 
that  father  and  mother  were  both  dead.  He  asked  me 
where  I  lived.  I  told  him,  as  well  as  I  could  describe  the 
house,  forgetting  that,  too  probably,  Mary  and  I  and  Nancy 
would  not  be  long  allowed  to  remain  there. 

"  When  I  commission  another  ship,  would  you  like  to  go 
with  me,  my  lad  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Very  much,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  But  I  have  a  sister, 
and  I  couldn't  go  away  with  no  one  to  take  care  of  her ;  so 
I  must  not  think  of  it  now  Tom  Swatridge  has  gone.  All 
the  same,  I  thank  you  kindly,  sir." 

"  Well,  well,  my  lad;  we  will  see  what  can  be  done,"  he 
said,  and  just  then  a  midshipman  came  up  to  report  that  the 
boat  was  ready  to  carry  the  rescued  man,  with  the  surgeon, 
to  the  shore. 

I  found  that  the  master's  mate,  Mr.  Harvey,  and  one  of 
the  men  were  going  in  my  boat,  and  of  course  I  did  not 
like  to  say  that  I  could  get  into  the  harbour  very  well  with- 
out them.  I  touched  my  hat  to  the  commander,  who  gave 
me  a  kind  nod — it  would  not  have  done  for  him, I  suppose,  to 
shake  hands  with  a  poor  boy  on  his  quarter-deck  even  if  he 
had  been  so  disposed — and  then  I  hurried  down  the  side. 

I  made  sail,  and  took  the  helm  just  as  if  I  had  been  by 
myself,  Mr.  Harvey  sitting  by  my  side,  while  the  seaman 
had  merely  to  rig  out  the  mainsail  with  the  boathook,  as  we 
were  directly  before  the  wind. 

"  You  are  in  luck,  youngster,"  observed  Mr.  Harvey ; 
"though  you  have  lost  one  friend  you've  gained  another, 
for  our  commander  always  means  what  he  says,  and,  depend 
on  it,  he'll  not  lose  sight  of  you." 

He  seemed  a  very  free-and-easy  gentleman,  and  made  me 
tell  him  all  about  myself,  and  how  we  had  lost  father  and 


46  Peter  Trawl. 

mother,  and  how  Tom  Swatridge  had  taken  charge  of  Mary 
and  me.  His  cheerful  way  of  talking  made  me  dwell  less 
on  my  grief  than  I  should  have  done  had  I  sailed  into  the 
harbour  all  alone. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  and  see  your  little  sister  and  the 
faithful  Nancy,"  he  said,  "  but  I  must  return  to  the  brig  as 
soon  as  that  poor  man  has  been  carried  to  the  hospital,  and 
I  have  several  things  to  do  on  shore.  Land  me  at  the 
Point,  you  can  find  your  way  to  the  Hard  by  yourself,  I've 
no  doubt." 

"The  boat  would  find  her  way  alone,  sir,  she's  so  accus- 
tomed to  it,"  I  answered. 

We  ran  in  among  a  number  of  wherries  with  people 
embarking  from  the  Point  or  landing  at  it.  The  Point,  it 
should  be  understood  by  those  who  do  not  know  Ports- 
mouth, is  a  hard  shingly  beach  on  the  east  side,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  harbour,  and  there  was  at  that  time  close  to  it  an  old 
round  stone  tower,  from  which  an  iron  chain  formerly  ex- 
tended across  to  Blockhouse  Fort,  on  the  Gosport  side,  to 
prevent  vessels  from  coming  in  without  leave. 

"Here,  my  lad, 'is  my  fare,"  said  Mr.  Harvey,  slipping 
half  a  guinea  into  my  hand  as  he  stepped  on  shore,  followed 
by  the  seaman;  "it  will  help  to  keep  Nancy's  pot  boiling 
till  you  can  look  about  you  and  find  friends.  They  will 
appear,  depend  on  it" 

Before  I  could  thank  him  he  was  away  among  the  motley 
crowd  of  persons  thronging  the  Point.  I  was  thankful  that 
no  one  asked  me  for  old  Tom,  and,  shoving  out  from  among 
the  other  boats,  I  quickly  ran  on  to  the  Hard. 

When  I  landed  the  trial  came.  A  waterman  had  gained 
an  inkling  of  what  had  occurred  from  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
Lapunngs  boat,  and  I  was  soon  surrounded  by  people 
asking  questions  of  how  it  happened. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  more,"  I  answered,  at  length  breaking 


A  Friend  Lost  and  a  Friend  Gained.       47 

from  them.  "Tom's  gone,  and  brother  Jack's  gone,  and  I 
must  go  and  look  after  poor  Mary." 

It  was  late  by  the  time  I  reached  home.  Nancy  had  got 
supper  ready  on  the  table,  and  Mary  had  placed  old  Tom's 
chair  for  him  in  a  snug  corner  by  the  fire.  They  saw  that 
something  was  the  matter,  for  I  couldn't  speak  for  a  minute 
or  more,  not  knowing  how  to  break  the  news  to  them.  At 
last  I  said,  with  a  choking  voice,  pointing  to  the  chair, 
"  He'll  never  sit  there  more  !  " 

Dear  me,  I  thought  Mary's  and  Nancy's  hearts  would 
break  outright  when  they  understood  what  had  happened. 
It  was  evident  how  much  they  loved  the  rough  old  man — I 
loved  him  too,  but  in  a  different  way,  I  suppose,  for  I  could 
not  ease  my  heart  by  crying  ;  indeed  I  was  thinking  about 
what  Mary  and  Nancy  would  do,  and  of  brother  Jack's  loss. 
I  did  not  like  to  tell  Mary  of  that  at  first,  but  it  had  to  come 
out,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  made  her  think  for  the 
time  less  about  what  was  to  us  by  far  the  greater  loss. 
Supper  remained  long  untasted,  but  at  last  I  felt  that  I  must 
eat,  and  so  I  fell  to,  and  after  a  time  Nancy  followed  my 
example  and  made  Mary  take  something. 

Nancy  then  began  to  talk  of  what  we  must  do  to  gain  our 
living,  and  we  sat  up  till  late  at  night  discussing  our  plans. 
There  was  the  wherry,  and  I  must  get  a  mate,  and  I  should 
do  very  well ;  then  we  had  the  house,  for  we  never  dreamed 
that  we  should  not  go  on  living  in  it,  as  we  were  sure  Tom 
would  have  wished  us  to  do.  Nancy  was  very  sanguine  as 
to  how  she  could  manage.  Her  plain,  pock-marked  face 
beamed  as  she  spoke  of  getting  three  times  as  much  work 
as  before.  Short  and  awkward  as  was  her  figure,  Nancy 
had  an  heroic  soul.  Mary  must  continue  to  attend  school, 
and  in  time  would  be  able  to  do  something  to  help  also. 

We  talked  on  till  we  almost  fell  asleep  on  our  seats.  The 
next  morning  we  vere  up  betimes.  Nancy  got  out  some 


48  Peter  Trawl. 

black  stuff  we  had  worn  for  mother,  a  piece  of  which  she 
fastened  round  my  arm  to  show  respect  to  old  Tom's 
memory,  and  after  breakfast  I  hurried  out  to  try  and  find  a 
mate,  that  I  might  lose  no  time  in  doing  what  I  could  with 
the  wherry.  I  had  thought  of  Jim  Pulley,  a  stout  strong 
lad,  a  year  or  two  older  than  myself,  who,  though  not  very 
bright,  was  steady  and  honest,  and  I  knew  that  I  couid  trust 
him  ;  his  strength  would  supply  my  want  of  it  for  certain 
work  we  had  to  do.  Jim  was  the  first  person  I  met  on  the 
Hard.  I  made  my  offer  to  him ;  he  at  once  accepted  it. 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  Peter,  I  was  a-coming  to  say,  that  if 
thou  hadst  not  got  any  one  to  go  in  the  place  of  Tom  Swa- 
tridge,  I  would  help  thee  till  thou  art  suited  for  nothing,  or 
if  thou  wilt  find  me  in  bread  and  cheese  I'll  be  thankful." 

In  a  few  minutes  after  this  Jim  and  I  were  plying  for 
hire  in  the  harbour,  and  we  had  not  long  to  wait  before  we 
got  a  fare.  The  first  day  we  did  very  well,  and  I  gave  Jim 
a  quarter  of  what  we  took,  with  which  he  was  perfectly 
content. 

"  I  wouldn't  ask  for  more,  Peter,"  he  said,  "  for  thou  hast 
three  mouths  to  feed,  and  I  have  only  one." 

The  next  few  days  we  were  equally  successful;  indeed  I 
went  home  every  evening  in  good  spirits  as  to  my  prospects. 
I  made  enough  for  all  expenses,  and  could  lay  by  something 
for  the  repairs  of  the  wherry. 

Though  Jim  and  I  were  mere  boys,  while  the  weather 
was  fine  people  took  our  boat  as  willingly  as  they  did  those 
of  grown  men.  Sometimes  we  got  parties  to  go  off  to  the 
Victory,  at  others  across  to  the  A^ictualling  Yard,  and 
occasionally  up  the  harbour  to  Porchester  Castle. 

We  worked  early  and  late,  and  Jim  or  I  was  always  on 
the  look  out  for  a  fare. 

When  I  got  home  at  night  I  had  generally  a  good  account 
to  give  of  the  day's  proceedings.  Now  and  then  I  asked 


A  Friend  Lost  and  a  Friend  Gained.       49 

Jim  in  to  take  a  cup  of  tea,  and  many  a  hearty  laugh  we 
had  at  what  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  we  had  taken  out  had 
said  and  done.  Seeing  that  we  were  but  boys  they  fancied 
that  they  could  talk  before  us  in  a  way  they  wouldn't  have 
thought  of  doing  if  we  had  been  grown  men. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  we  were  able  to  save  much, 
but  still  I  put  by  something  every  week  for  the  repairs  of 
the  boat.  I  had  got  enough  to  give  her  a  fresh  coat  of 
paint,  which  she  much  wanted,  and  we  agreed  that  we 
would  haul  her  up  on  Saturday  afternoon  for  the  purpose, 
so  that  she  would  be  ready  for  Monday. 

We  carried  out  our  intentions,  though  it  took  every  shilling 
I  had  put  by,  and  we  lost  more  than  one  fare  by  so  doing. 
But  the  wherry  looked  so  fresh  and  gay,  that  we  hoped  to 
make  up  for  it  the  next  week.  Jim  went  to  chapel  on  the 
Sunday  with  Mary  and  Nancy  and  me,  and  spent  most  of 
the  day  with  us.  He  was  so  quiet  and  unassuming  that  we 
all  liked  him  much.  As  we  had  put  plenty  of  dryers  in  the 
paint,  and  the  sun  was  hot  on  Sunday,  by  Monday  forenoon 
we  were  able  to  ply  as  usual.  We  had  taken  a  fare  across 
to  Gosport,  when  a  person,  whom  we  supposed  to  be  a 
gentleman  from  his  gay  waistcoat  and  chains,  and  his  top- 
boots,  and  hat  stuck  on  one  side,  came  down  to  the  beach 
and  told  us  to  take  him  over  to  Portsea.  We  soon  guessed 
by  the  way  he  talked  that,  in  spite  of  his  fine  clothes,  he 
was  not  a  gentleman. 

"  I  say,  you  fellow,  do  you  happen  to  know  whereabouts 
an  old  chap,  one  Tom  Swatridge,  lives?"  he  asked  of  Jim, 

"  He  doesn't  live  anywhere ;  he's  dead,"  answered  Jim. 

"Dead!  Dead,  do  you  say?"  he  exclaimed.  "Who's 
got  his  property  ?  " 

"  He  had  no  property  that  I  knows  on,"  answered  Jim  ; 
"  except,  maybe " 

"  Oh  yes,  he  had  and  if  the  old  fellow  had  lived  he 

4 


50  Peter  Trawl. 

would  have  been  the  possessor  of  a  good  round  sum  ;  but, 
as  I  am  his  nephew,  that  will  be  mine,  and  everything  else 
he  left  behind  him,  the  lawyer,  Master  Six-and-eightpence, 
as  I  call  him,  tells  me." 

All  this  time  I  had  not  liked  to  say  anything,  but  the  last 
remark  made  me  feel  very  uncomfortable.  The  speaker 
presently  took  a  letter  out  of  his  pocket,  and,  reading  it, 
said,  "  Ah  !  I  see  Mr.  Gull  is  the  man  I've  got  to  go  to. 
Can  you  show  me  where  Mr.  Gull,  the  attorney,  lives?"  he 
asked  of  Jim ;  "  he'll  settle  up  this  matter." 

Jim  made  no  answer,  for  we  were  getting  near  the  shore, 
and  had  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  two  craft  coming  up  the 
harbour.  We  soon  ran  up  to  the  Hard,  when  the  man, 
stepping  out,  offered  Jim  a  sixpence. 

"A  shilling's  the  fare,  sir,"  said  Jim,  keeping  back  his 
hand. 

"  No,  no,  you  young  rascal !  I  know  better ;  but  111  give 
you  another  sixpence  if  you  will  show  me  the  way  to  Mr. 
Gull's." 

"  You  may  find  it  by  yourself,"  answered  Jim,  indignantly, 
as  he  picked  up  the  sixpence  thrown  to  him  by  our  fare, 
who  walked  off. 

u  Half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no  bread,  Peter,  so  it's  as  well 
not  to  lose  the  sixpence,"  said  Jim,  laughing.  "But  no 
gentleman  would  have  offered  less  than  a  shilling.  I  wonder 
whether  he  really  is  old  Tom's  nephew  ?  " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TURNED  OUT  OF  HOUSE  AND  HOME. 

WE  had  just  landed  the  gaily-dressed  individual  who 
had  announced  himself  the  nephew  of  old  Tom 
S\vatridge.  Thinking  that  he  might  possibly  be  the  person 
he  said  he  was,  and  not  knowing  what  tricks  he  might  play, 
I  was  intending  to  row  home,  when  a  gentleman,  with  two 
young  ladies  and  a  boy,  who  I  knew  by  their  dress  to  be 
Quakers,  came  down,  wishing  to  take  a  row  round  the 
harbour,  and  afterwards  to  visit  the  Victualling  Yard. 

After  we  had  pulled  off  some  way,  I  asked  if  they  would 
like  to  go  aboard  the  Victory. 

11  No,  thank  thee,  young  friend,  we  take  no  pleasure  in 
visiting  scenes,  afloat  or  on  shore,  where  the  blood  of  our 
fellow-creatures  has  been  shed,"  answered  the  gentleman. 

As  he  spoke  I  thought  by  his  look  and  the  tone  of  his 
voice  that  he  must  be  Mr.  Silas  Gray,  who  had  come  to  our 
house  when  the  poor  girl  mother  took  in  was  dying,  but  I 
did  not  like  to  ask  him.  The  young  people  called  him 
father.  At  last  he  began  to  ask  Jim  and  me  questions,  and 
how,  young  as  we  were,  we  came  to  have  a  boat  by  our- 
selves. 

"  I  suppose  thy  father  is  ill  on  shore  ?  "  he  said. 

Then  I  told  him  how  he  was  lost  at  Spithead,  and  mother 
had  died,  and  old  Tom  had  been  blown  up,  and  I  had 
taken  his  wherry,  seeing  there  was  no  one  else  to  own 


52  Peter  Trawl. 

her;  and  how  Mary  and  Nancy  and  I  lived  on  in  his 
house. 

"And  art  thou  and  this  other  lad  brothers  ?"  he  inquired. 

"  No,  sir  ;  but  Jim  Pulley  and  I  feel  very  much  as  if  we 
were,"  I  answered.  "  My  name  is  Peter  Trawl." 

"  And  was  thy  mother  a  bumboat-woman,  a  true,  honest 
soul,  one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  that  was  my  mother,"  I  said,  my  heart 
beating  with  pleasure  to  hear  her  so  spoken  of. 

Then  he  told  me  that  he  was  Mr.  Silas  Gray,  and  asked 
if  I  remembered  the  visits  he  used  to  pay  to  our  house. 
Of  course  I  did.  The  young  ladies  and  his  son  joined 
in  the  conversation,  and  very  pleasant  it  was  to  hear  them 
talk. 

We  were  out  the  whole  afternoon,  and  it  was  quite  late 
when  we  got  back  to  Portsea.  Mr.  Gray  said  that  he  was 
going  away  the  next  morning  with  his  family  to  London, 
but  that  when  he  returned  he  would  pay  Mary  a  visit,  and 
hoped  before  the  summer  was  over  to  take  some  more  trips 
in  my  wherry.  He  paid  us  liberally,  and  he  and  the  young 
people  gave  us  kind  smiles  and  nods  as  they  stepped  on 
shore. 

While  we  were  out  I  had  not  thought  much  about  the 
fare  we  had  brought  across  from  Gosport  in  the  morning, 
but  now,  recollecting  what  he  had  said,  I  hurried  home, 
anxious  to  hear  if  he  had  found  out  the  house.  I  had  not 
to  ask,  for  directly  I  appeared  Nancy  told  me  that  while 
Mary  was  at  school  an  impudent  fellow  had  walked  in  and 
asked  if  old  Tom  Swatridge  had  once  lived  there,  and  when 
she  said  "Yes,"  had  taken  a  note  of  everything,  and  then 
sat  down  and  lighted  his  pipe,  and  told  her  to  run  out  and 
bring  him  a  jug  of  ale. 

" '  A  likely  thing,  indeed ! '  I  answered  him,"  said 
Nancy ;  "  '  what !  when  I  come  back  to  £nd  whatever  is 


Turned  out  of  House  and  Home  53 

worth  taking  carried  off,  or  maybe  the  door  locked  and  I 
unable  to  get  in  ! '  The  fellow  laughed  when  I  said  this — 
— a  nasty  sort  of  a  laugh  it  was — and  said,  '  Ay  !  just  so.'  I 
didn't  know  exactly  what  he  meant,  but  presently  he  sang 
out, '  What !  are  you  not  gone  yet,  gal?'  'No,  and  I  shan't,' 
I  answered;  '  and  when  Peter  and  Jim  come  in  you'll  pretty 
quickly  find  who  has  to  go.'  On  this  he  thundered  out,  trying 
to  frighten  me,  '  Do  you  know  that  I  am  old  Tom  Swatridge's 
nephew  and  heir-at-law,  [I  think  that's  what  he  called  himself], 
'and  that  this  house  and  everything  in  it  is  mine,  and  the 
wherry,  and  any  money  the  old  chap  left  behind  him  ?  I'll 
soon  prove  that  you  and  your  brother  are  swindlers,  and 
you'll  be  sent  off  to  prison,  let  me  tell  you.'  He  took  me  for 
Mary,  do  you  see,  Peter ;  and  I  was  not  going  to  undeceive 
him  ?  I  felt  somewhat  nonplussed  when  he  said  this,  but 
without  answering  I  walked  to  the  window,  working  with 
my  needle  as  I  was  doing  when  he  came  in,  and  looked  out 
as  if  I  was  expecting  you  and  Jim  to  be  coming.  I  would 
give  him  no  food,  nor  even  a  drink  of  water ;  so  at  last  he 
grew  tired,  and,  saying  I  should  see  him  again  soon,  swing- 
ing his  cane  and  whistling,  he  walked  away." 

"  What  do  you  think,  Peter  ?  Can  he  really  be 
old  Tom's  nephew?"  asked  Mary,  when  Nancy  ceased 
speaking. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,  that  if  he  proves  himself  to  be  so 
we  shall  be  bound  to  turn  out  of  this  house,  and  to  give  up 
the  wherry,"  I  answered. 

"Oh,  Peter!  what  shall  we  do,  then?"  exclaimed 
Mary. 

"  The  best  we  can,  my  sister,"  I  said.  "  Perhaps  the 
man  may  not  be  able  to  prove  that  he  is  what  he  calls 
himself.  I  have  heard  of  impostors  playing  all  sorts  of 
tricks.  We'll  hope  for  the  best.  And  now  Nancy,  let  us 
have  some  supper." 


54  Peter  Trawl. 

Though  I  tried  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  Mary  and 
Nancy,  I  felt  very  anxious,  and  could  scarcely  sleep  fur 
thinking  on  the  subject.  Whatever  might  happen  for  myself 
I  did  not  care,  but  I  was  greatly  troubled  about  what  Mary 
and  Nancy  would  do.  I  naturally  thought  of  Commander 
Rogers,  from  whom  all  this  time  I  had  heard  nothing, 
though  he  had  promised  to  come  and  see  after  Mary  and 
me.  Mr.  Gray  had  said  that  he  was  going  away  again,  so 
that  I  could  not  obtain  advice  from  him.  "  I  have  God  to 
trust  to,  that's  a  comfort,"  I  thought,  and  I  soon  dropped 
off  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  I  remained  at  home  to  a  later  hour 
than  usual.  Just  as  I  was  going  out  a  man  came  to  the 
door,  who  said  he  was  sent  by  Lawyer  Gull,  and  put  a 
paper  into  my  hand,  which  he  told  me  was  a  something  I 
could  not  exactly  make  out,  to  quit  the  house  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  "  His  client,  the  owner  of  the  property,  wishes 
not  to  act  harshly,  so  refrains  from  taking  stronger  measures 
at  present,"  said  the  clerk,  who,  having  performed  his  task, 
went  away.  I  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  talk  with  Mary  and 
Nancy.  Mary  said  quietly  that  if  we  must  go  we  must,  and 
that  we  had  better  look  out  for  cheap  lodgings  at  once. 
Nancy  was  very  indignant,  and  declared  that  we  had  no 
business  to  turn  out  for  such  a  scamp  as  that.  Old  Tom 
had  never  spoken  of  having  a  nephew  ;  she  did  not  believe 
the  fellow  was  his  nephew^  and  certainly,  if  he  was,  Tom 
would  not  have  left  his  property  to  him.  She  advised  me, 
however,  to  go  out  and  try  to  get  advice  from  some  one 
who  knew  more  about  the  law  than  she  did.  I  accord- 
ingly set  off  for  the  Hard,  where  I  was  sure  to  find  several 
friends  among  the  watermen.  I  had  not  got  far  when  I 
met  Jim  Pulley,  looking  very  disconsolate. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Jim,"  I  asked. 

"We've  lost  the  wherry!"  he  exclaimed,  nearly  blubber- 


Turned  out  of  House  and  Home.  55 

ing.  "  Two  big  fellows  came  down,  and,  asking  what  boat 
she  was,  told  me  to  step  ashore :  and  when  I  said  I 
wouldn't  for  them,  or  for  any  one  but  you,  they  took  me, 
crop  and  heels,  and  trundled  me  out  of  her." 

"  That  is  only  what  I  feared,"  I  said.  "  I  was  coming 
down  to  find  some  one  to  advise  us  what  to  do." 

"  Then  you  couldn't  ask  any  better  man  than  Bob  Fox, 
he's  been  in  prison  half  a  score  of  times  for  smuggling  and 
such  like,  so  he  must  know  a  mighty  deal  about  law,"  he 
answered. 

We  soon  found  Bob  Fox,  who  was  considered  an  oracle 
on  the  Hard,  and  a  number  of  men  gathered  round  while 
he  expressed  his  opinion. 

"  Why,  you  see,  mates,  it's  just  this,"  he  said,  extending 
one  of  his  hands  to  enforce  his  remarks  ;  "  you  must  either 
give  in  or  go  to  prison  when  they  brings  anything  agen  you, 
and  that,  maybe,  is  the  cheapest  in  the  end ;  or,  as  there's 
always  a  lawyer  on  t'other  side,  you  must  set  another  lawyer 
on  to  fight  him,  and  that's  what  I'd  advise  to  be  done  in 
this  here  case.  Now  I  knows  a  chap,  one  Lawyer  Chalk, 
who's  as  sharp  as  a  needle,  and  if  any  man  can  help  young 
Peter  and  his  sister  to  keep  what  is  their  own  he'll  do  it. 
I'm  ready  to  come  down  with  some  shiners  to  pay  him,  for, 
you  see,  these  lawyer  folk  don't  argify  for  nothing,  and  I'm 
sure  some  on  you  who  loves  justice  will  help  Jack  and 
Polly  Trawl's  children  ;  so  round  goes  the  hat." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Bob,  taking  off  his  tar- 
paulin, threw  a  handful  of  silver  into  it,  and  his  example 
being  followed  by  a  number  of  other  men,  he  grasped  me 
by  the  hand,  and  set  off  forthwith  to  consult  Lawyer 
Chalk. 

We  quickly  reached  his  office.  Mr.  Chalk,  a  quiet-looking 
little  man,  with  easy  familiar  manners,  which  won  the  con- 
fidence of  his  illiterate  constituents,  knowing  Bob  Fox 


56  Peter  Trawl. 

well,  received  us  graciously.  His  eyes  glittered  as  he  heard 
the  money  chink  in  Bob's  pocket. 

"  It's  all  as  clear  as  a  pikestaff,"  he  observed,  when  he 
heard  what  I  had  got  to  say.  "  They  must  prove  first  that 
this  fellow  who  has  turned  up  is  Tom  Swatridge's  nephew  ; 
then  that  he  is  his  heir-at-law,  and  finally  that  the  house 
and  boat  belonged  to  the  deceased.  Now  possession  is 
nine-tenths  of  the  law ;  you've  got  them,  and  you  must 
hold  them  till  the  law  turns  you  out." 

"  I  couldn't,  sir,  if  another  has  a  better  right  to  them  than 
I  have,"  I  answered.  "  I  lived  on  in  the  house  and  used 
the  wherry  because  I  was  sure  that  old  Tom  would  have 
wished  me  to  do  so,  but  then  I  didn't  know  that  he  had 
any  relation  to  claim  them." 

"And  you  don't  know  that  he  has  any  relation  now," 
said  Mr.  Chalk ;  "  that  has  to  be  proved,  my  lad.  The 
law  requires  proof;  that's  the  beauty  of  the  law.  The  man 
may  swear  till  he's  black  in  the  face  that  he  is  the 
deceased's  nephew,  but  if  he  has  no  proof  he'll  not  gain  his 
cause." 

Bob  Fox  was  highly  delighted  with  our  visit  to  the 
lawyer. 

"I  told  you  so,  lad;  I  told  you  so!"  he  exclaimed, 
rubbing  his  hands  ;  "  t'other  chap  will  find  he  has  met  his 
match.  Bless  you  !  old  Chalk's  as  keen  as  a  razor." 

As  I  could  not  use  the  wherry,  I  went  home  feeling  in 
much  better  spirits  than  before  about  our  prospects.  I  was 
able  even  to  cheer  up  Mary  and  Nancy.  I  told  them  that, 
by  Lawyer  Chalk's  advice,  we  were  not  to  quit  the  house, 
and  that  he  would  manage  everything.  No  one  appeared 
during  the  day.  The  next  morning  we  had  breakfast  as 
usual,  and  as  the  time  went  by  I  was  beginning  to  hope 
that  we  should  be  unmolested,  when  two  rough-looking 
men  came  to  the  door,  and,  though  Nancy  sprang  up  to 


Turned  out  of  House  and  Home.  57 

bar  them  out,  in  they  walked.  One  of  them  then  thrust  a 
paper  out  to  her,  but  she  drew  back  her  hand  as  if  it  had 
been  a  hot  iron.  The  man  again  attempted  to  make  her 
take  it.  "  One  of  you  must  have  it,"  he  growled  out. 

"  No,  no  !  I  couldn't  make  head  or  tail  of  it  if  I  did," 
answered  Nancy,  still  drawing  back. 

"  Let  me  have  it,"  I  said,  wishing  to  know  what  the  men 
really  came  for. 

"  The  sum  total  is,  that  you  and  the  rest  of  you  are  to 
move  away  from  this,  and  if  you  don't  go  sharp  we're  to 
turn  you  out ! "  exclaimed  the  bailiff,  losing  patience  at  the 
time  I  took  to  read  the  document.  "  It's  an  order  of  eject- 
ment, you'll  understand. 

"  Don't  you  mind  what  it  is,  Peter ! "  exclaimed  Nancy  ; 
"  Mr.  Chalk  said  we  was  to  stay  here,  and  stay  we  will  for 
all  the  scraps  of  paper  in  the  world !  "  And  Nancy,  seating 
herself  in  a  chair,  folded  her  arms,  and  cast  defiant  looks 
at  the  officers  of  the  law. 

They  were,  however,  up  to  the  emergency.  Before  either 
she  or  I  were  aware  of  what  they  were  about  to  do,  they 
had  secured  her  arms  to  the  back  of  the  chair,  and  then, 
lifting  it  and  her  up,  carried  her  out  of  the  house  and 
deposited  her  in  the  street,  in  spite  of  the  incautious  attempt 
I  made  to  effect  a  rescue.  The  moment  I  got  outside  the 
house  one  of  the  bailiffs,  turning  round,  seized  me  in  a  vice- 
like  grasp,  and  the  other  then  entering,  led  out  Mary,  who 
saw  that  resistance  was  hopeless.  He  next  walked  back, 
took  the  key  from  the  door,  and,  having  locked  it,  released 
Nancy  and  re-entered  the  house  with  the  chair.  Before 
Nancy  could  follow  him  he  had  shut  himself  in,  while  his 
companion,  letting  me  go  with  a  shove  which  sent  me 
staggering  across  the  street,  walked  off,  I  concluded  to  tell 
the  lawyer  who  sent  him  and  his  mate  that  they  had  got 
possession  of  the  house. 


58  Peter  Trawl. 

Nancy  was  standing,  with  her  fists  clenched,  too  much 
astonished  at  the  way  she  had  been  treated  to  speak.  Mary 
was  in  tears,  trembling  all  over. 

"  Oh,  Peter,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I'll  go  to  Lawyer  Chalk  and  hear  what  he  says,"  I 
answered.  "  If  the  house  and  boat  ought  to  be  ours,  he'll 
get  them  back;  if  not,  I  can't  say  just  now  what  we  must 
do.  Meantime  do  you  and  Nancy  go  to  Widow  Simmons's, 
and  wait  there.  She  was  always  a  friend  of  mother's,  and 
will  be  glad  to  help  you." 

Mary  agreed,  but  Nancy,  who  at  length  found  her  tongue, 
declared  that  she  wasn't  going  to  lose  sight  of  the  house, 
and  that  she  would  stay  where  she  was  and  watch  and  tell 
the  folks  who  passed  how  we  had  been  treated.  As  nothing 
I  could  say  would  induce  her  to  move,  I  accompanied  Mary 
to  the  widow's,  where  I  left  her,  and  hastened  on  to  Mr. 
Chalk's.  The  lawyer  made  a  long  face  when  I  told  him  how 
we  had  been  treated. 

"  I  told  you  that  '  possession  is  nine-tenths  of  the  law,'  my 
)ad,  and  now  they  are  in  and  you  are  out,"  he  answered. 
"  It's  a  bad  job — but  we'll  see  what  can  be  done.  We  must 
obtain  at  all  events  your  clothes,  and  any  other  private 
property  you  may  possess.  Now  go,  my  lad,  and  call  upon 
me  in  a  week  or  two ;  I  shall  see  Bob  Fox  in  the 
meantime." 

Soon  after  leaving  the  lawyer's  I  met  Jim  Pulley.  Having 
seen  Nancy,  he  was  fuming  with  indignation  at  our  having 
been  turned  out  of  our  home,  and  proposed  trying  to  break 
into  the  house  to  regain  possession,  but  I  had  sense  enough 
to  know  that  we  must  abide  by  the  law,  whichever  way  that 
decided.  I  found  Nancy  still  keeping  watch  before  the 
door,  and  vehemently  appealing  to  all  who  would  stop  to 
listen  to  her.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  at  length 
persuaded  her  to  go  with  me  to  Mrs.  Simmons's.  The  kind 


Turned  out  of  House  and  Home.  59 

widow  was  willing  to  give  us  shelter,  and  as  Mary  had 
fortunately  my  savings  in  her  pocket,  we  had  sufficient  to 
pay  for  our  food  for  some  days.  The  next  morning  Mary 
went  as  usual  to  school ;  Nancy  left  the  house,  saying  that 
she  was  going  to  look  for  work,  and  I  set  out,  hoping  to  find 
employment  in  a  wherry  with  one  of  the  men  who  knew  me. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
HELP  COMES  WHEN  LEAST  EXPECTED. 

T  FOUND  it  more  difficult  to  obtain  employment  with 
-*-  wages  sufficient  to  support  Mary  and  me,  not  to  speak 
of  Nancy,  than  I  had  expected.  Jim  and  I  tried  to  hire 
a  boat,  but  we  could  not  obtain  one  to  suit  us  for  any  sum 
we  could  hope  to  pay.  Ours,  for  so  we  still  called  her,  had 
been  carried  off,  and  locked  up  in  a  shed  at  Portsmouth. 
He  and  I  picked  up  a  sixpence  or  a  shilling  now  and  then, 
but  some  days  we  got  nothing.  There  was  a  great  risk  of 
our  becoming  what  my  father  had  so  strongly  objected  to 
"longshore  loafers."  I  would  not  desert  Jim,  who  had 
served  me  so  faithfully,  and  so  we  tried,  as  far  as  we  could, 
to  work  together.  Sometimes  he  talked  of  going  off  to  sea, 
but  as  I  could  not  leave  Mary  his  heart  failed  him  at  the 
thought  of  going  without  me.  At  the  time  appointed  I 
called  on  Lawyer  Chalk. 

"  Sorry  to  say  we  are  beaten,  my  lad,"  were  the  words 
with  which  he  greeted  me.  "  I  fought  hard,  but  there's  no 
doubt  that  Mr.  Gull's  client  is  the  nephew  of  Tom  Swa- 
tridge,  who  died  intestate,  consequently  his  nephew  is  his 
heir.  Had  the  old  man  wisely  come  to  me  I  would  have 
drawn  up  a  will  for  him,  securing  his  property  to  you  or 
any  one  he  might  have  desired.  I  am  very  sorry  for  you, 
but  law  is  law,  and  it  can't  be  helped.  I  hope  that  you  will 
find  employment  somewhere  soon.  Good-day  to  you."  And 
he  waved  me  out  of  his  office. 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.          6 1 

In  consequence  of  his  failure  in  my  cause,  Lawyer  Chalk 
sank  considerably  in  the  estimation  of  Bob  Fox  and  his 
friends,  who  declared  that  the  next  time  they  wanted  legal 
advice  they  would  try  what  Lawyer  Gull  could  do  for  them. 
I  should  have  said  that  a  day  or  two  before  he  had  sent  a 
clerk  armed  with  due  authority  to  accompany  Nancy  and 
Mary,  who  brought  away  our  clothing  and  all  the  articles 
which  we  had  purchased  with  our  own  money.  Curiously 
enough,  I  did  not  again  set  eyes  on  Mr.  Eben  Swatridge, 
who  was,  I  understood,  the  son  of  a  younger  brother  of  old 
Tom,  who  had  gone  into  business  in  London  and  made 
money.  Some  property  having  been  left  to  the  two  brothers, 
or  to  the  survivor  of  either,  Eben  had  been  compelled  to 
make  inquiries  respecting  his  long  unrecognized  uncle,  and 
had  thus  been  induced  to  pay  the  visit  to  Portsea  which 
had  produced  such  disastrous  results  to  Mary  and  me. 

The  house  and  furniture  and  wherry  were  sold,  and 
directly  afterwards  he  disappeared  from  Portsmouth.  Per- 
haps he  thought  it  wise  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Bob  Fox 
and  the  other  sturdy  old  salts  who  supported  me.  Not  that 
one  of  them  would  have  laid  a  finger  on  him,  and  Mary  and  I 
agreed  that,  far  from  having  any  ill-feeling,  we  should  have 
been  ready,  for  his  uncle's  sake,  to  have  been  friends  if  he 
had  explained  to  us  at  the  first  who  he  was  and  his  just 
rights  in  a  quiet  way.  We  had  now  a  hard  struggle  to 
make  the  two  ends  meet  Mrs.  Simmons  fell  ill,  and  Mary, 
who  could  no  longer  go  to  school,  had  to  attend  on  her, 
and  I  had  to  find  food  and,  as  it  turned  out,  to  pay  her 
rent,  she  being  no  longer  able  to  work  for  her  own  support. 
I  did  not  grumble  at  this,  for  I  was  grateful  to  her  for  her 
kindness  to  us;  but  though  we  stinted  ourselves  to  the 
utmost,  we  often  had  not  a  sixpence  in  the  house  to  buy 
fit  nourishment  for  the  poor  old  lady.  Nancy  was  ready  to 
slave  from  morning  to  night,  but  was  often  unsuccessful  in 


62  Peter  Trawl. 

obtaining  work,  so  that  she  made  scarcely  enough  to 
support  herself;  she  might  have  got  a  situation,  but  she 
would  not  leave  Mary.  Whenever  honest  Jim  Pulley  could 
save  a  shilling  he  brought  it,  as  he  said,  for  the  widow, 
though  I  knew  that  besides  his  wish  to  help  her  he  was 
much  influenced  by  his  regard  for  us.  I  often  thought 
when  the  winter  came  what  he  and  I  should  do  then.  I 
did  not  say  anything  to  Mary  about  the  future,  but  tried  to 
keep  up  her  spirits,  for  I  saw  that  her  cheek  was  becoming 
pale,  and  she  was  growing  thinner  and  thinner  every  day. 
At  last  one  morning,  vhen  I  had  got  up  just  at  daylight, 
and  having  taken  a  crust  of  bread  and  a  drink  of  water  for 
breakfast,  was  about  to  go  out  in  search  of  work,  Nancy 
came  into  the  room,  and  said, 

"  I  don't  know  what  has  come  over  Mary,  but  she  has 
been  talking  and  talking  ever  so  strangely  all  night,  and  her 
cheek  is  as  hot  as  a  live  cinder." 

I  hurried  into  the  little  back  room  Mary  and  Nancy 
occupied  next  to  the  widow's.  A  glance  told  me  that  my 
dear  little  sister  was  in  a  high  fever.  My  heart  was  ready 
to  burst,  for  she  did  not  know  me.  Mrs.  Simmons  was  too 
ill  to  get  up  and  say  what  she  thought  of  its  nature. 

"  I  must  run  for  the  doctor,  Nancy,"  I  exclaimed ; 
"  there's  not  a  moment  to  lose ; "  and  snatching  up  my  hat 
I  rushed  out  of  the  house,  assured  that  Nancy  would  do  her 
best  in  the  meantime. 

I  had  caught  sight  of  Dr.  Rolt  passing  along  the  street 
on  the  previous  day,  so  I  knew  that  he  was  at  home,  and  I 
felt  more  inclined  to  go  to  him  than  to  Mr.  Jones.  I  ran 
as  I  had  not  run  for  a  long  time,  and  no  one  ventured  to 
stop  me  now.  The  doctor  was  on  foot,  early  as  was  the 
hour.  He  remembered  mother  and  Mary  and  me  the 
moment  I  mentioned  my  name. 

"  I'll  come  to  see  your  little  sister  directly,"  he  said 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.          63 

I  waited  for  him,  fearing  that  he  might  not  find  the  house. 
He  was  soon  ready,  and,  considering  his  age,  I  was  surprised 
how  well  he  kept  up  with  me.  I  eagerly  ushered  him  into 
the  house.  He  had  not  been  long  with  Mary  before  he 
sent  me  off  to  the  chemist  to  get  some  medicine,  for  which 
I  had  fortunately  enough  in  my  pocket  to  pay.  When  I 
came  back  he  gave  it  to  her  himself,  and  said  that  he  would 
send  some  more  in  the  evening ;  but  he  would  not  tell  me 
what  he  thought  of  her. 

I  will  not  dwell  on  this  unhappy  time.  The  doctor  came 
twice  every  day  and  sometimes  oftener,  but  Mary  seemed 
to  be  getting  no  better.  I  had  to  go  out  to  get  work,  but 
all  I  could  make  was  not  sufficient  for  our  expenses,  and  I 
had  to  run  into  debt,  besides  which  the  widow's  rent  was 
due,  and  she  could  not  pay  it. 

One  day  Jim  brought  me  a  few  shillings,  which  he  said 
the  watermen  had  given  him,  but  times  were  bad  with  most 
of  them,  and  they  could  do  but  little.  This  enabled  me  to 
get  some  things  absolutely  necessary  for  Mary  and  food  for 
the  rest  of  us.  The  landlord  called  two  or  three  times  for 
rent,  and  at  last  said  that  he  must  put  in  a  distress  if  it  was  not 
paid.  The  thought  of  what  the  consequence  of  this  would 
be  to  Mary  made  me  tremble  with  fear.  Ill  as  she  and 
Mrs.  Simmons  were,  their  beds  might,  notwithstanding,  be 
taken  from  beneath  them.  The  widow  might  be  carried  otY 
to  the  workhouse,  and  we  should  be  turned  into  the  street. 
I  begged  hard  for  delay,  and  promised  that  I  would  do  all 
I  could  to  raise  the  money.  The  landlord  replied  that  he 
would  give  us  two  days  more,  but  would  not  listen  to  any- 
thing further  I  had  to  say.  The  doctor  had  just  before 
called,  so  that  I  could  not  then  tell  him  of  our  difficulty.  He 
had  not  yet  given  me  any  assurance  that  he  thought  Mary 
would  recover.  Nancy  could  not  leave  the  house,  as  she 
was  required  every  moment  to  attend  on  her  and  Mrs.  Sim- 


64  Peter  Trawl. 

mons.  I  was  not  likely  to  find  Dr.  Rolt  till  the  evening,  so 
I  determined  to  consult  Jim  and  Bob  Fox.  I  soon  met 
Jim ;  he  was  ready  to  cry  when  I  told  him.  He  scratched 
his  head  and  rubbed  his  brow,  in  vain  trying  to  suggest 
something. 

"  Bob  can't  help  us  either,"  he  said,  at  length.  "  He's 
got  into  trouble.  Went  away  three  days  ago  over  to  France 
in  a  smuggling  lugger,  the  Smiling  Lass,  and  she  was 
catched  last  night  with  tubs  aboard,  so  he's  sure  to  want 
all  the  money  he  can  get  to  pay  Lawyer  Chalk  to  keep  him 
out  of  prison,  if  that's  to  be  done,  but  I'm  afeared  even  old 
Chalk  will  be  nonplussed  this  time." 

"  I  wonder  whether  Lawyer  Chalk  would  lend  me  the 
money,"  I  said. 

"  Might  as  well  expect  to  get  a  hen's  egg  out  of  a  block 
of  granite,"  answered  Jim. 

On  inquiry  I  found  that  all  my  friends  from  whom  I  had 
the  slightest  hope  of  assistance  were  away  over  at  Ryde, 
Cowes,  or  Southampton. 

"  I  tell  you,  Peter,  as  I  knowed  'how  much  you  wanted 
money,  I'd  a  great  mind  to  go  aboard  the  Smiling  Lass 
t'other  day,  when  Bob  axed  me.  It's  a  good  job  I  didn't, 
isn't  it?" 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  didn't,  not  only  because  you  would 
have  been  taken,  but  because  you  would  have  broken  the 
law,"  I  answered.  "  Father  always  set  his  face  against 
smuggling." 

"  Yes,  maybe  he  did,"  said  Jim,  who  did  not  see  that 
smuggling  was  wrong  as  clearly  as  I  di'd.  "  But  now  what's 
to  be  done  ?  " 

"  We'll  go  down  to  the  Hard,  and  try  to  pick  up  a  job," 
I  answered.  "  A  few  pence  will  be  better  than  nothing." 

We  each  got  a  job  in  different  boats.  The  one  I  was 
in  took  some  passengers  over  to  Ryde.  and  thence  some 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.  65 

others  to  Spithead  and  back,  so  that  it  was  late  when  I  got 
home  with  a  shilling  and  a  few  pence  in  my  pocket.  Mary 
was  no  better.  The  doctor  had  been,  and  Nancy  had  told 
him  of  the  landlord's  threats,  but  he  had  made  no  remark. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Nancy,"  I  said ;  "  I'll  offer 
the  landlord  this  shilling  when  he  comes  to-morrow  to  show 
that  I  am  in  earnest,  and  perhaps  he  will  let  us  off  for 
another  day  or  two." 

"  Better  hear  what  the  doctor  thinks  when  he  comes  in 
the  morning.  I  don't  think  that  he'll  allow  Mary  and 
Widow  Simmons  to  have  their  beds  taken  from  under 
them.  Cheer  up,  Peter  !  cheer  up  !  " 

I  did  cheer  up  a  little  when  Jim  came  in  and  brought 
another  shilling,  his  day's  earnings,  declaring  that  he'd  had 
a  good  dinner,  and  had  still  some  coppers  in  his  pocket  to 
pay  for  the  next  day's  breakfast.  He,  however,  could  not 
resist  eating  some  bread  and  cheese  which  Nancy  pressed 
on  him  before  he  went  away. 

I  could  scarcely  close  my  eyes  for  thinking  of  what  the 
rr.orrow  might  bring  forth.  About  midnight  Nancy  came 
in  and  told  me  that  Mary  was  sleeping  more  calmly  than 
she  had  done  since  she  was  taken  ill.  Hoping  that  this 
was  a  good  sign  my  mind  became  less  disquieted,  and  I  fell 
asleep.  The  next  morning  the  usual  hour  for  the  doctor's 
coming  passed  and  he  did  not  appear.  We  waited  and 
waited,  anxious  to  know  whether  Mary  really  was  better. 
At  last  there  came  a  knocking  at  the  door,  and  in  walked 
the  landlord,  with  a  couple  of  men  at  his  heels. 

"  Have  you  the  rent  ready,  good  people  ?  "  he  asked,  in 
a  gruff  tone. 

"  No,  sir ;  but  I  have  two  shillings,  and  I  promise  to  pay 
as  much  as  I  can  every  day  till  you've  got  what  you  de- 
mand," I  said,  as  fast  as  I  could  speak. 

The  men  laughed  as  I  said  this. 

5 


66  Peter  Trawl. 

"Two  shillings!  that  won't  go  no  way,  my  lad,"  cried 
the  landlord.  "  Let  me  see,  why  this  old  pot  and  kettle 
and  the  cups  and  plates,  and  table  and  chairs,  and  every- 
thing in  this  room  won't  sell  for  more  than  half  my  demands, 
so  we  must  have  the  bedsteads  and  bedding  and  a  chest  of 
drawers  or  so ;  and  as  the  old  woman  in  there  won't  ever 
be  able  to  pay  me  more  rent,  she  and  all  of  you  mu^t 
t'irn  out  with  what  remains  !  So  now,  Crouch  and  Scrog- 
gins,  do  your  duty." 

The  moment  he  had  entered  the  house  Nancy,  passing 
behind  me,  had  locked  Mary's  and  Mrs.  Simmons's  doors, 
and  having  put  the  keys  in  her  pocket,  had  slipped  into 
the  scullery  or  little  back  kitchen,  where  we  often  cooked 
in  summer.  One  of  the  men  was  in  the  act  of  placing 
one  chair  upon  another,  and  his  companion  was  approaching 
Mary's  room,  when  suddenly  Nancy  rushed  out  of  the  back 
kitchen  with  a  red-hot  poker  in  her  hand,  and  placing 
herself  before  it,  exclaimed, 

"  Step  an  inch  nearer  if  ye  dare,  ye  cowards !  Out  on 
ye,  Mr.  Grimes,  to  come  and  disturb  a  fever-sick  girl  and 
an  old  dying  woman  for  the  sake  of  a  few  filthy  shillings ! 
Peter  here  has  offered  you  some,  and  has  promised  to  pay 
you  more  when  he  can  get  them,  and  I  promise  too  ;  and 
now  let  me  see  if  one  of  you  dare  to  lay  a  finger  on  any  of 
Missus  Simmons's  things  !  Get  out  of  this  house  !  get  out 
of  this  house,  I  say ! " 

And  she  began  flourishing  her  poker  and  advancing 
towards  the  intruders  in  a  way  which  made  them  beat  a 
rapid  retreat  towards  the  door,  Mr.  Grimes  scrambling  off 
the  first,  and  shouting  out, 

"  Assault  and  battery !  I'll  make  you  pay  for  this,  you 
young  vixen ! " 

"  I  don't  mind  your  salt  and  butter,  nor  what  you  call  me 
either,"  cried  Nancy;  and  she  was  just  slamming  the  door 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.          67 

behind  them,  when  two  persons  appeared  as  if  about  to 
enter,  one  of  whom  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  which  I  recognised 
as  that  of  Dr.  Roll, 

"  Why,  my  good  girl,  what  is  all  this  about  ?" 

"  They  said  that  they  was  a-going  to  take  Mary's  and  the 
widow's  beds  and  all  the  things  away,  sir,  and  I  wouldn't 
let  them,"  she  answered,  panting  and  still  grasping  the  hot 
poker. 

"Verily,  daughter,  thou  hast  taken  a  very  effectual  way 
of  preventing  them,"  said  the  other  person,  who  I  now  saw 
to  my  great  joy  was  Mr.  Silas  Gray.  He  and  the  doctor  at 
once  entered  the  house. 

"  Now  listen  to  me,  damsel,"  he  continued.  "  Thou  hast 
been  prompted  by  affectionate  zeal  to  defend  thy  friends,  I 
doubt  not,  but  nevertheless  thou  hast  acted  illegally,  and 
the  consequences  to  thyself  may  be  serious ;  however,  I 
will  say  no  more  on  the  subject  at  present.  Put  back  thy 
weapon  into  the  fireplace  and  attend  on  friend  Rolt,  who 
desires  to  see  his  patients." 

I  saw  Mr.  Gray  and  the  doctor  exchange  smiles  as  Nancy, 
producing  the  keys  from  her  pocket,  unlocked  the  doors. 
He  now,  observing  me,  said, 

"  Tell  me,  my  lad,  how  all  this  happened.  I  thought 
that  thou  wast  doing  well  with  thy  wherry." 

So  while  the  doctor  was  seeing  Mary  and  Mrs.  Simmons, 
I  gave  him  an  exact  account  of  all  that  had  happened  since 
the  day  he  and  his  family  were  out  with  Jim  and  me  on  the 
water.  I  had  just  finished,  when  the  doctor  came  into  the 
room. 

"  I  can  give  you  a  favourable  account  of  your  young 
sister,  my  lad,"  said  Dr.  Rolt.  "  Her  patience  and 
obedience,  aided  by  Nancy's  care,  have  been  much  in  her 
favour,  and  she  will,  I  trust,  shortly  recover.  As  soon  as 
she  has  gained  sufficient  strength  our  friend  Mr.  Gray  wishes 


68  Peter  TiawL 

her  to  be  removed  to  his  house,  and  Nancy  can  remain  here 
to  look  after  the  poor  widow,  whose  days  on  earth  are 
numbered." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  gentlemen  ;  thank  you ! "  I  exclaimed, 
my  heart  swelling  so  that  I  could  scarcely  utter  the  words. 

"  And  what  about  yourself,  my  son  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Gray. 

"  Oh,  Jim  and  I  will  try  to  rub  on  together,  and  I'll  try 
to  pay  the  widow's  rent  as  I  promised,  if  you'll  speak  a 
word,  sir,  to  Mr.  Grimes  and  get  him  not  to  press  for  pay- 
ment," I  answered. 

"  Set  thy  mind  at  rest  on  that  point.  I  will  satisfy  the 
demands  of  the  widow's  landlord,"  said  Mr.  Gray  ;  and  he 
then  added,  "  Come  to  my  house  to-morrow,  and  I  will 
meantime  consider  what  can  be  done  to  put  you  in  the  way 
of  gaining  your  daily  bread.  I  desire  to  show  thee  that  I 
am  pleased  with  thy  conduct,  but  it  were  small  kindness 
were  I  to  enable  thee  to  live  in  idleness." 

Again  thanking  Mr.  Gray  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  I 
said,  "What  I  want,  sir,  is  work.  Help  me  to  get  that, 
and  it  will  be  all  I  ask." 

Before  going  away  Mr.  Gray  saw  Mary  for  a  short  time, 
and  paid  a  long  visit  to  poor  Mrs.  Simmons,  which  she  said 
did  her  heart  good. 

I  had  never  felt  so  happy  in  my  life,  and  could  not  resist 
going  out  to  tell  Jim  Pulley. 

"  Ask  him  to  set  thee  up  with  a  wherry  and  we'll  go  out 
together  again  as  we  used  to  do.  That  will  be  fine,  and 
we'll  be  as  merry  as  two  crickets  ! "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  leave  it  with  him,"  I  answered.  "  A 
wherry  costs  a  lot  of  money,  and  he  has  already  been  very 
generous,  though  I  should  like  him  to  do  as  you  propose, 
and  I  promise  you,  Jim,  whatever  he  proposes,  to  stick  by 
you." 

"  That's  all  I  care  for,"  answered  my  friend. 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.          69 

He  accompanied  me  to  the  door,  but  would  not  come  in 
for  fear  of  disturbing  Mary. 

The  next  day  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Gray,  who  lived  in  a 
pretty  house  some  way  out  of  Portsmouth.  He  and  his 
daughters  received  me  very  kindly.  He  had,  he  said,  been 
considering  what  he  could  do  for  me.  He  would  obtain  a 
wherry  for  me,  but  he  considered  that  the  life  of  a  waterman 
was  not  suited  to  a  lad  like  me,  and  he  then  said  that  he 
was  a  shipowner,  and  was  about  to  despatch  a  brig  in  a  few 
days  to  the  coast  of  Norway  for  timber,  and  that,  if  I  pleased, 
he  would  send  me  on  board  her  as  an  apprentice.  Also,  as 
he  considered  that  I  was  already  a  seaman,  he  would  give 
me  a  trifle  of  pay.  Remembering  what  my  father  used  to 
say  about  not  wishing  Jack  "  to  become  a  long-shore  lubber," 
I  at  .once  replied  that  I  would  thankfully  have  accepted  his 
offer,  but  that  I  could  not  desert  Jim  Pulley,  who  would 
well-nigh  break  his  heart,  if  1  were  to  go  away  without  him. 

"  Nor  need  thee  do  that,  my  son,"  he  answered.  "  I  will 
provide  a  berth  also  for  thy  friend  on  board  the  Good  Intent, 
and  he  and  thou  need  not  be  parted.  I  approve  of  thy 
constancy  to  him  and  of  his  faithfulness  to  thee.  A  long- 
shore life,  such  as  thou  wouldst  lead  if  thou  wast  owner  of  a 
wherry,  would  be  dangerous  if  not  demoralising,  albeit  thou 
might  live  comfortably  enough." 

"  But,  sir,  what  will  my  sister  do  without  me  when  she 
recovers  and  leaves  you,  and  where  will  Nancy  go  when 
the  widow  dies  ?  " 

"  I  will  be  chargeable  for  both  of  them.  Set  thy  mind  at 
rest  on  that  point.  Should  I  be  called  away — and  no  man 
knows  how  long  he  has  to  live — I  will  direct  my  daughters 
to  watch  over  them.  Thou  and  thy  friend  Jim  can,  in  the 
meantime,  follow  thy  vocation  of  watermen,  so  that  thou 
mayest  eat  the  fruit  of  thy  labours,  which  is  sweeter  far  to 
brave  hearts  like  thine  than  food  bestowed  in  charity." 


yo  Peter  Trawl. 

I  did  my  best  to  thank  Mr.  Gray  as  I  ought,  and  hastened 
back  to  tell  Mary  and  Nancy  and  Jim. 

"  I'd  have  gone  with  thee,  Peter,  even  if  it  had  been  to 
T'otany  Bay,  or  any  of  them  outlandish  parts,"  exclaimed 
Jim,  when  I  told  him  what  Mr.  Gray  had  promised.  "  I  am 
glad ;  yes,  I  am  glad  ! " 

We  both  tried  at  once  to  get  employment,  and  did  very 
well  that  afternoon  and  on  the  two  following  days. 

When  I  got  home  on  the  evening  of  the  last  I  found  that 
a  message  had  been  left  by  Mr.  Gray  when  he  visited  the 
widow  and  Mary,  directing  Jim  and  me  to  go  the  next 
morning  at  nine  o'clock  on  board  the  Good  Intent,  which 
had  just  come  into  the  Commercial  Dock.  I  hastened  off 
to  tell  Jim  at  once.  As  may  be  supposed,  we  were  up 
betimes,  and  as  we  got  to  the  dock  before  the  hour 
appointed  we  were  able  to  examine  the  Good  Intent  at  our 
leisure.  She  was  a  fair  enough  looking  craft,  but  as  she  was 
deep  in  the  water,  having  only  just  begun  to  discharge  a 
cargo  of  coals  brought  from  the  north,  and  had  a  dingy 
appearance,  from  the  black  dust  flying  about,  we  could  not 
judge  of  her  properly. 

As  the  bells  of  St.  Thomas's  Church  began  to  strike  nine 
we  stepped  on  board,  and  directly  afterwards  Mr.  Gray, 
followed  by  a  short,  broad,  oldish  man,  who  had  not  a  bit 
the  look  of  a  skipper,  though  such  I  guessed  he  was,  came 
out  of  the  cabin. 

"Right!  Punctuality  saves  precious  hours,"  said  Mr. 
Gray,  with  an  approving  nod.  "These  are  the  lads  I  desire 
to  commit  to  thy  care,  Captain  Finlay.  Instruct  them  in 
their  duties,  so  that  they  may  become  able  seamen,  and  they 
will  repny  thy  teaching." 

"  I'll  act  justly  by  the  laddies,  Mr.  Gray,  but  there's  an 
auld  saying  that  '  ye  canna  make  a  silk  purse  out  of  a  sow's 
ear.'  If  they  dinna  keep  their  wits  awake,  or  if  they  ha'  na 


Help  Comes  when  Least  Expected.         7 1 

wits  to  keep  awake,  all  the  teaching  in  the  world  will  na 
make  them  sailors." 

"  They  are  fair  sailors  already,  and  thou  wilt  find  them 
handy  enough,  I  hope,"  observed  Mr.  Gray. 

After  putting  a  few  questions,  Captain  Finlay  told  us  to 
come  aboard  the  next  day  but  one  with  our  bags,  by  which 
time  the  cargo  would  be  discharged.  We  set  off  home 
greatly  pleased,  though  puzzled  to  know  how  we  should 
obtain  a  decent  kit.  With  Nancy's  help,  I  might  be  pretty 
well  off,  but  poor  Jim  had  scarcely  a  rag  to  his  back  besides 
the  clothes  he  stood  in.  In  the  evening,  however,  a  note 
came  from  Mr.  Gray  with  an  order  on  an  outfitter  to  give  us 
each  a  complete  kit  suited  to  a  cold  climate.  We  were  not 
slow  to  avail  ourselves  of  it.  The  next  day  Dr.  Rolt  con- 
sidered Mary  sufficiently  well  to  be  removed,  and  Mr.  Gray 
sent  a  closed  carriage  to  convey  her  to  his  house.  The 
doctor  told  me  to  be  ready  to  accompany  her,  and  kindly 
came  himself.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  been  in  a 
coach,  and  the  rolling  and  pitching  made  me  feel  very  queer. 
The  young  ladies  received  us  as  if  we  had  been  one  of 
themselves,  and  Mary  was  carried  up  into  a  pretty,  neat 
room,  with  white  dimity  curtains  to  the  bed,  and  the  fresh 
air  blowing  in  at  the  open  window. 

"  I'll  leave  her  to  you,  now,  Miss  Hannah,"  said  the 
doctor.  "  This  is  all  she  requires,  with  your  watchful  care." 

After  I  had  had  a  short  talk  with  Mary  alone  I  took  my 
leave,  and  Miss  Hannah  told  me  to  be  sure  to  come  back 
and  see  them  before  the  Good  Intent  sailed.  It  was  not 
likely  I  should  forget  to  do  that 

Jim  and  I  now  went  to  live  on  board  the  brig.  We  had 
plenty  of  work,  cleaning  out  the  hold  and  getting  rid  of  the 
coal-dust,  and  then  we  scrubbed  the  deck,  and  blacked 
down  the  rigging,  and  painted  the  bulwarks  and  masts,  till 
the  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  dingy  collier  was  like 


72  Peter  Trawl. 

that  of  a  scullery-maid  when  she  puts  on  her  Sunday  best 
We  did  not  mind  the  hard  work,  though  it  was  a  good  deal 
harder  than  any  we  had  been  accustomed  to,  but  the  master 
and  the  rest  of  the  crew  set  us  a  good  example.  There  was 
little  grumbling,  and  what  surprised  me,  no  swearing,  such 
as  I  had  been  accustomed  to  hear  on  the  Hard.  Captain 
Finlay  would  not  allow  it,  and  the  mate  supported  him  in 
checking  any  wrong  expressions  which  some  of  the  men  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  uttering. 

I  got  leave  to  run  up  and  see  Mary  and  to  bid  Nancy 
and  Mrs.  Simmons  good-bye.  Miss  Hannah  and  her  sisters 
seemed  to  be  making  a  great  deal  of  Mary.  It  was  evident 
they  liked  her  much,  and  I  was  not  surprised  at  that  The 
widow  I  never  expected  to  see  again.  Nancy  would 
scarcely  let  me  go. 

"  Oh,  Peter,  Peter !  what  should  us  do  if  anything  was  to 
happen  to  ye  out  on  the  cruel  sea ! "  she  cried,  as  she  held 
my  hand  and  rubbed  her  eyes  with  her  apron. 

The  next  day  the  Good  Intent  went  out  of  harbour,  and  I 
began  in  earnest  the  seafaring  life  I  was  destined  to  lead. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
MY  FIRST   VOYAGE. 

WIND  south- south-west.  The  North  Foreland  had 
been  rounded  ;  the  countless  craft,  of  all  sizes  and 
rigs,  generally  to  be  found  off  the  mouth  of  the  Thames, 
had  been  cleared,  and  the  Good  Intent,  with  studding  sails 
alow  and  aloft,  was  standing  across  the  German  Ocean. 

Jim  and  I  soon  found  our  sea-legs,  and  were  as  well  able 
to  go  aloft  to  reef  topsails  as  the  older  hands.  We  were 
already  well  up  to  the  ordinary  duties  of  seamen,  and  could 
take  our  place  at  the  helm  with  any  of  them. 

"Mr.  Gray  was  not  mistaken  about  thee,  laddie,"  said  the 
captain  to  me  one  day  as  I  came  aft  to  the  wheel.  "  Go  on 
as  thou  hast  begun ;  obey  God,  and  thou  wilt  prosper." 

I  was  much  pleased  with  this  praise,  for  the  old  man  was 
not  given  to  throwing  words  away.  While  I  steered  he 
stood  by  telling  me  not  only  what  to  do  then,  but  how  to  act 
under  various  circumstances.  At  other  times  he  made  me 
come  into  the  cabin  and  gave  me  lessons  in  navigation  to 
fit  me  to  become  a  mate  and  master.  Jim,  being  unable  to 
read,  and  showing  no  aptitude  for  learning,  had  not  the 
same  advantages.  We  both  of  us  lived  forward  with  the 
men,  some  of  whom  were  a  little  jealous  of  the  favour  I 
received,  and  not  only  played  me  tricks,  ordered  me  to  do 
all  sorts  of  disagreeable  jobs,  and  gave  me  a  taste  of  the 


74  Peter  Trawl. 

rope's-end  on  the  sly,  but  tried  hard  to  set  Jim  against  me. 
They  soon,  however,  found  out  that  they  were  not  likely  to 
succeed,  for  though  Jim  did  not  mind  how  they  treated  him, 
he  was  always  ready  to  stick  up  for  me. 

The  forecastle  of  the  Good  Intent  was  thus  not  a  paradise 
to  either  of  us.  The  greater  number  of  the  men  were, 
however,  well  disposed,  and  it  was  only  when  they  were  on 
deck  that  the  others  dared  to  behave  as  I  have  described, 
while,  as  we  would  not  complain,  the  mate  knew  nothing  of 
what  was  going  forward  below.  I  remember  thinking  to 
myself,  "  If  these  sort  of  things  can  be  done  on  board  a 
ship,  with  a  well-disciplined  crew  and  a  good  captain  and 
mate,  how  hard  must  be  the  lot  of  the  unhappy  boys  serving 
in  a  craft  where  the  captain,  officers,  and  men  are  alike 
brutal!"  Jim  was  always  ready  to  oblige,  and  I  did  my 
best  to  win  over  my  enemies  by  trying  to  show  that  I  did 
not  mind  how  they  treated  me,  and  I  soon  succeeded. 

We  were,  I  should  have  said,  bound  out  to  Bergen,  on 
the  coast  of  Norway,  for  a  cargo  of  hides,  tallow,  salt  fish, 
and  spars,  which  we  were  to  carry  to  London.  The  weather 
had  hitherto  been  fine,  a  great  advantage  to  Jim  and  me, 
as  we  had  time  to  learn  our  duties  and  to  get  accustomed  to 
going  aloft  before  our  nerves  and  muscles  were  put  to  any 
severe  test. 

But  though  the  sea  was  smooth,  the  breeze,  which  had  at 
first  carried  us  briskly  along,  shifted  to  the  northward,  so 
that  we  made  but  slow  progress.  Now  we  stood  on  one 
tack,  now  on  the  other,  the  wind  each  time  heading  us.  At 
last  the  grumblers  began  to  declare  that  we  should  never 
make  our  port. 

"The  old  craft  has  got  a  run  of  ill-luck,  there's  something 
worse  a-going  to  happen,"  said  Sam  Norris,  one  of  my  chief 
persecutors,  as  during  his  watch  below  he  sat  with  his  arms 
folded  on  his  chest  in  the  fore-peak.  "  I  seed  a  black  cat 


My  First  Voyage.  75 

come  aboard  the  night  afore  we  left  the  docks,  and  no  one 
knows  that  she  ever  went  ashore  again." 

Some  of  the  men  looked  uncomfortable  at  Sam's  state- 
ment, but  others  laughed. 

"  What  harm  could  the  black  cat  do,  if  she  did  come 
aboard  ?  "  I  inquired.  "  Probably  she  came  to  look  for  rats, 
and  having  killed  all  she  could  find,  slipped  ashore  again 
unseen  by  any  one." 

"  1  didn't  say  a  she-cat.  It  looked  like  a  big  tom-cat ; 
but  who  knows  that  it  was  really  a  cat  at  all  ?  "  said  Sam. 

"  If  it  wasn't  a  tom-cat,  what  was  it  ?  "  asked  Bob  Stout, 
a  chum  of  Sam's. 

"Just  what  neither  you  nor  I  would  like  to  meet  if  we 
had  to  go  down  into  the  hold  alone,"said  Sam,  in  a  mysterious 
tone. 

Just  then  the  watch  below  was  summoned  on  deck  to 
shorten  sail.  Not  a  bit  too  soon  either,  and  we  were  quickly 
swarming  aloft  and  out  on  the  yards. 

To  reef  sails  in  smooth  water  is  easy  enough,  but  when 
the  ship  is  pitching  into  the  fast  rising  seas  and  heeling  over 
to  the  gale,  with  the  wind  whistling  through  the  rigging, 
blocks  rattling,  ropes  lashing  about,  the  hard  canvas  trying 
to  escape  from  one's  grip,  and  blatters  of  rain  and  sleet  and 
hail  in  one's  face,  it  is  no  pleasant  matter.  We  had  taken 
two  reefs  in  the  topsails,  and  even  then  the  brig  had  as  much 
canvas  on  her  as  she  could  stand  up  to,  and  we  had  all  come 
down  on  deck,  with  the  exception  of  Jim,  who  had  been  on 
the  foreyard,  when  the  mate,  seeing  a  rope  foul,  ordered  him 
to  clear  it.  Jim  performed  his  duty,  but  instead  of  coming 
down  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  remained  seated  on  the 
foreyard,  holding  on  by  the  lift  to  get  accustomed  to  the 
violent  motion,  in  which  he  seemed  to  take  a  pleasure. 
The  mate,  not  observing  this,  came  aft  to  speak  to  the 
captain,  who  shortly  afterwards,  finding  that  the  brig  was 


76  Peter  Trawl. 

falling  off  from  the  wind,  which  had  before  been  baffling, 
having  shifted  ahead,  ordered  her  to  be  put  about 

"  Down  with  the  helm,"  cried  the  captain. 

I  saw  the  men  hauling  at  the  braces,  when,  looking  up,  I 
caught  sight  of  Jim  at  the  yardarm.  I  shrieked  out  with 
terror,  expecting  that  the  next  instant,  as  the  yardarm  swung 
round,  he  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  deck,  or  hove 
off  into  the  raging  sea.  The  kind-hearted  mate,  recollecting 
him,  came  rushing  forward,  also  believing  that  his  destruction 
was  certain,  unless  he  could  be  caught  as  he  fell.  My  heart 
beat,  and  my  eyes  were  fixed  on  my  friend  as  if  they  would 
start  out  of  my  head.  I  wildly  stretched  out  my  hands,  yet 
I  felt  that  I  could  do  nothing  to  save  him,  when  he  made  a 
desperate  spring,  and  catching  hold  of  the  backstay,  came 
gliding  down  by  it  on  deck  as  if  nothing  particular  had 
happened,  scarcely  conscious,  indeed,  of  the  fearful  danger 
he  had  escaped.  The  mate  rated  him  in  stronger  language 
than  he  generally  used  for  his  carelessness,  winding  up  by 
asking  : 

"  Where  do  you  think  you  would  have  been,  boy,  if  you 
hadn't  have  jumped  when  you  did  or  had  missed  your 
aim  ?  " 

"  Praise  God  for  His  great  mercy  to  thee,  laddie,  and  may 
thou  never  forget  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life,"  said  the  old 
captain,  who  had  beckoned  Jim  aft  to  speak  to  him. 

Jim,  touching  his  hat,  answered,  "  Ay,  ay,  sir ! "  but  he 
was,  perhaps,  less  aware  of  the  danger  he  had  been  in  than 
any  one  on  board. 

The  gale  in  creased;  several  heavy  seas  struck  the  old  brig, 
making  her  quiver  from  stem  to  stern,  and  at  last  one  heavier 
than  the  rest  breaking  on  board,  carried  the  starboard  bul- 
warks forward  clean  away.  Some  of  the  men  were  below ; 
Jim  and  I  and  others  were  aft,  and  the  rest,  though  half 
drowned,  managed  to  secure  themselves.  To  avoid  the  iibk 


My  First  Voyage.  77 

of  another  sea  striking  her  in  the  same  fashion,  the  brig  was 
hove  to  under  a  close-reefed  fore-topsail.  As  we  had  plenty 
of  sea  room,  and  the  brig  was  tight  as  a  bottle,  so  the  mate 
affirmed,  there  was  no  danger;  still,  I  for  one  heartily  wished 
that  the  weather  would  moderate.  I  had  gone  aft,  being 
sent  by  the  cook  to  obtain  the  ingredients  of  a  plum-pudding 
for  the  cabin  dinner.  Not  thinking  of  danger,  on  my  return 
I  ran  along  on  the  lee  side  of  the  deck,  but  before  I  reached 
the  caboose  I  saw  a  mountain  sea  rolling  up  with  a  terrific 
roar,  and  I  heard  a  voice  from  aft  shout,  "  Hold  on  for  your 
lives  !  "  Letting  go  the  basin  and  dish  I  had  in  my  hands, 
I  grasped  frantically  at  the  nearest  object  I  could  meet  with. 
It  was  a  hand.-pike  sticking  in  the  windlass,  but  it  proved  a 
treacherous  holdfast,  for,  to  my  horror,  out  it  came  at  the 
instant  that  the  foaming  sea  broke  on  board,  and  away  I  was 
carried  amid  the  whirl  of  waters  right  out  through  the 
shattered  bulwarks.  All  hope  of  escape  abandoned  me. 
In  that  dreadful  moment  it  seemed  that  every  incident  in 
my  life  came  back  to  my  memory ;  but  Mary  was  the  chief 
object  of  my  thoughts.  I  knew  that  I  was  being  carried  off 
into  the  hungry  ocean,  and,  as  I  supposed,  there  was  no 
human  aid  at  hand  to  save  me,  when  the  brig  gave  a  violent 
lee  lurch,  and  before  I  was  borne  away  from  her  side  I  felt 
myself  seized  by  the  collar  of  my  jacket,  and  dragged  by  a 
powerful  arm,  breathless  and  stunned  with  the  roar  of  waters 
in  my  ears,  into  the  galley. 

The  cook,  who  had  retreated  within  it  when  the  sea  struck 
the  brig,  had  caught  sight  of  me,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life 
had  darted  out,  as  a  cat  springs  on  her  prey,  and  saved  me. 
I  quickly  recovered  my  senses,  but  was  not  prepared  for  the 
torrent  of  abuse  which  my  preserver,  Bob  Fritters,  poured 
out  on  me  for  having  come  along  on  the  lee  instead  of  the 
weather  side  of  the  deck. 

Two  or  three  of  the  watch  who  had  been  aft  and  fancied 


78  Peter  Trawl. 

that  I  had  been  carried  overboard,  when  they  found  that  I 
was  safe,  instead  of  expressing  any  satisfaction,  joined  the 
cook  in  rating  me  for  my  folly.  Feeling  as  I  suppose  a 
half-drowned  rat  might  do,  I  was  glad  to  make  my  escape 
below,  where,  with  the  assistance  of  Jim,  I  shifted  into  dry 
clothes,  while  he  hurried  on  deck  to  obtain  a  fresh  supply  of 
materials  for  the  captain's  pudding.  Shortly  after  this  the 
gale  abated,  and  the  brig  was  again  put  on  her  course. 

I  had  been  sent  aloft  one  morning  soon  after  daybreak  to 
loose  the  fore-royal,  when  I  saw  right  ahead  a  range  of  blue 
mountains,  rising  above  the  mist  which  still  hung  over  the 
ocean.  I  knew  that  it  must  be  the  coast  of  Norway,  for 
which  we  were  bound. 

"  Land !  land ! "  I  shouted,  pointing  in  the  direction  I  saw 
the  mountains,  which  I  guessed  were  not  visible  from  the 
deck. 

The  mate  soon  came  aloft  to  judge  for  himself. 

"You  are  right,  Peter,"  he  said.  "We  have  made  a  good 
landfall,  for  if  I  mistake  not  we  are  just  abreast  of  the  en- 
trance to  the  Bay  of  Jeltefiord,  at  the  farther  end  of  which 
stands  Bergen,  the  town  we  are  bound  for." 

The  mate  was  right.  The  breeze  freshening  we  stood  on, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  morning  we  ran  between  lofty  and 
rugged  rocks  for  several  miles,  through  the  narrow  Straits  of 
Carmesundt  into  the  bay — or  fiord  rather — till  we  came  to 
an  anchor  off  the  picturesque  old  town  of  Bergen.  It  was  a 
thriving,  bustling  place ;  the  inhabitants,  people  from  all 
the  northern  nations  of  Europe,  mostly  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits. 

We  soon  discharged  our  cargo  and  began  taking  on  board 
a  very  miscellaneous  one,  including  a  considerable  quantity 
of  spars  to  form  the  masts  and  yards  of  small  vessels.  The 
day  seemed  to  me  wonderfully  long,  indeed  there  was 
scarcely  any  night.  Of  course,  we  had  p'er.ty  of  hard  work, 


My  Pint  Voyage.  79 

as  we  were  engaged  for  a  large  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours 
in  hoisting  in  cargo.  I  should  have  thought  all  hands  would 
have  been  too  tired  to  think  of  carrying  on  any  tricks,  but  it 
seemed  that  two  or  three  of  them  had  conceived  a  spite 
against  Jim  because  he  would  not  turn  against  me. 

One  of  our  best  men,  Ned  Andrews,  who  did  duty  as 
second  mate,  had  brought  for  his  own  use  a  small  cask  of 
sugar,  as  only  molasses  and  pea-coffee  were  served  out 
forward.  One  morning,  as  I  was  employed  aft  under  the 
captain's  directions,  Andrews  came  up  and  complained  that 
on  opening  his  cask  he  found  it  stuffed  full  of  dirty  clouts 
and  the  sugar  gone.  I  never  saw  the  captain  so  indignant 

"  A  thief  on  board  my  brig  !  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  verily,  I'll 
make  an  example  of  him,  whoever  he  is." 

Calling  the  mate,  he  ordered  him  forthwith  to  examine  all 
the  men's  chests,  supposing  that  the  thief  must  have  stowed 
the  sugar  in  his  own. 

"Go,  Peter,  and  help  him,"  he  added,  "for  I  am  sure 
that  thou,  my  son,  art  not  the-  guilty  one." 

I  followed  the  mate  into  the  fore-peak.  Having  first 
demanded  the  keys  from  the  owners  of  those  which  were 
locked,  he  examined  chest  after  chest,  making  me  hold  up 
the  lids  while  he  turned  out  the  contents  or  plunged  !»is 
hands  to  the  bottom.  No  sugar  was  found  in  any  of  them. 
He  then  came  to  my  chest,  which  I  knew  was  not  locked, 
and  the  idea  came  into  my  head  that  the  stolen  property 
would  be  there.  I  showed  some  anxiety,  I  suspect,  as  I 
lifted  up  the  lid.  The  mate  put  in  his  hands  with  a  careless 
air,  as  if  he  had  no  idea  of  the  sort.  Greatly  to  my  relief  he 
found  nothing.  There  was  but  one  chest  to  be  examined. 
It  was  Jim's. 

Scarcely  had  I  opened  it  when  the  mate,  throwing  off  a 
jacket  spread  over  the  top,  uttered  an  exclamation  of  sur- 
prise. There  exposed  to  view  was  a  large  wooden  bow) 


So  Peter  Trawl. 

procured  the  day  before  by  the  steward  for  washing  up 
glasses  and  cups,  and  supposed  to  have  fallen  overboard, 
cram  full  of  sugar. 

"  Bring  it  along  aft,"  cried  the  mate.  "  I  did  not  think 
that  of  Pulley." 

"And  I  don't  think  it  now,  sir,"  I  answered,  in  a  confident 
tone,  as  I  obeyed  his  order. 

"What's  this?  where  was  it  found?"  inquired  the  captain, 
as  we  reached  the  quarter-deck. 

The  mate  told  him. 

"I'll  swear  Jim  never  put  it  there,  sir;  not  he  i "  I 
exclaimed. 

"  Swear  not  at  all,  my  son,  albeit  thou  mayest  be  right," 
said  the  captain.  "  Send  James  Pulley  aft." 

Jim  quickly  came. 

"  Hast  thou,  James  Pulley,  been  guilty  of  stealing  thy 
shipmate's  sugar?"  asked  the  captain. 

"  No,  sir,  please  you,  I  never  took  it,  and  never  put  it 
where  they  say  it  was  found,"  answered  Jim,  boldly. 

"Appearances  are  sadly  against  thee,  James  Pulley," 
observed  the  captain,  with  more  sorrow  than  anger  in  his 
tone.  "  This  matter  must  be  investigated." 

"I  am  sure  that  Jim  speaks  the  truth,  sir,"  I  exclaimed, 
unable  to  contain  myself.  "  Somebody  else  stole  the  sugar 
and  put  it  in  his  chest." 

The  crew  had  gathered  aft,  and  two  or  three  looked 
thunder-clouds  at  me  as  I  spoke. 

"Thine  assertion  needs  proof,"  observed  the  captain. 
"Was  thy  cask  of  sugar  open,  Andrews?  " 

"No,  sir,  tightly  headed  up,"  answered  Andrews. 

"Then  it  must  have  been  forced  open  by  some  iron 
instrument,"  said  the  captain.  "  Bring  it  aft  here." 

The  empty  keg  was  brought. 

"  I  thought  so,"  remarked  the  captain.     "  An  axe  was 


My  First  Voyage.  81 

used  to  prise  it  open.  Did  any  one  see  an  axe  in  the 
hands  of  James  Pulley?" 

There  was  no  reply  for  some  time.  At  last,  Ben  Grimes, 
one  of  the  men  who  had  always  been  most  hostile  to  Jim 
and  me,  said,  "  I  thinks  I  seed  Jim  Pulley  going  along  the 
deck  with  what  looked  mighty  like  the  handle  of  an  axe 
sticking  out  from  under  his  jacket." 

"  The  evidence  is  much  against  thee,  James  Pulley,"  said 
the  captain.  "  I  must,  as  in  duty  bound,  report  this  affair 
to  Mr.  Gray  on  our  return,  and  it  will,  of  course,  prevent 
him  from  bestowing  any  further  favours  on  you." 

"  I  didn't  do  it.  I'd  sooner  have  had  my  right  hand  cut 
off  than  have  done  it,"  cried  Jim.  "Let .me  go  ashore,  sir, 
and  I'll  try  to  gain  my  daily  bread  as  I  best  can.  I  can't 
bear  to  stay  aboard  here  to  be  called  a  thief;  though  Peter 
Trawl  knows  I  didn't  take  the  sugar;  he'd  never  believe 
that  of  me;  and  the  mate  doesn't,  and  Andrews  himself 
doesn't." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  thee,  lad.  Thou  must  prove  thine 
innocence,"  said  the  captain,  turning  away. 

Poor  Jim  was  very  unhappy.  Though  both  he  and  I 
were  convinced  that  one  of  the  men  for  spite  had  put  the 
sugar  in  his  chest,  we  could  not  fix  on  the  guilty  person.  I 
did  my  best  to  comfort  him.  He  talked  of  running  from 
the  ship,  but  I  persuaded  him  not  to  think  more  of  doing 
so  foolish  a  thing. 

"  Stay,  and  your  innocence  will  appear  in  due  time,"  I 
said. 

As  we  went  about  the  deck  we  heard  Grimes  and  others 
whispering,  "Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together." 

They  bullied  Jim  and  me  worse  than  ever,  and  took  every 
occasion  to  call  him  a  young  thief,  and  other  bad  names 
besides.  They  saw  how  it  vexed  him,  and  that  made  them 
abuse  him  worse  than  before.  The  day  after  this  we  sailed 

6 


82  Peter  Trawl. 

Poor  Jim  declared  that  if  he  could  not  clear  himself  he 
would  never  show  his  face  in  Portsmouth.  I  was  sure  that 
Andrews  and  the  other  good  men  did  not  believe  him  to  be 
guilty,  but  they  could  not  prove  his  innocence;  and,  as  he 
said,  the  others  would  take  care  to  blabber  about  him,  and, 
worst  of  all,  Mr.  Gray  would  think  him  a  thief. 

An  easterly  breeze  carried  us  clear  of  the  harbour,  but 
the  wind  then  shifted  to  the  southward,  and  then  to  the 
south-west,  being  very  light,  so  that  after  three  days  we  had 
not  lost  sight  of  the  coast  of  Norway.  There  seemed  every 
probability  of  our  having  a  long  passage.  Some  of  the  men 
said  it  was  all  owing  to  the  black  cat,  and  Grimes  declared 
that  we  must  expect  ill-luck  with  such  a  psalm-singing 
Methodist  old  skipper  as  we  had.  Even  Andrews  prog- 
nosticated evil,  but  his  idea  was  that  it  would  be  brought 
about  by  an  old  woman  he  had  seen  on  shore,  said  by  every- 
one to  be  a  powerful  witch.  As,  however,  according  to 
Andrews,  she  had  the  power  of  raising  storms,  and  we  had 
only  to  complain  of  calms  and  baffling  winds,  I  could  not 
see  that  she  had  had  any  influence  over  us. 

At  last  we  got  so  far  to  the  westward  that  we  lost  sight  of 
the  coast  of  Norway,  but  had  not  made  good  a  mile  to  the 
southward — we  had  rather  indeed  drifted  to  the  northward. 
Meantime,  the  captain  hearing  from  the  mate  how  the  men 
were  grumbling,  called  all  hands  aft. 

"  Lads,  I  want  ye  to  listen  to  me,"  he  said.  "  Some  or 
ye  fancy  that  we  are  having  these  calms  and  baffling  winds 
on  one  account,  and  some  on  another,  but  this  I  know,  that 
He  who  rules  the  seas  does  not  allow  any  other  beings  to 
interfere  with  His  plans.  Ye  have  heard,  maybe,  however, 
of  the  prophet  Jonah.  Once  upon  a  time,  Jonah,  when 
ordered  by  God  to  go  to  a  certain  place  and  perform  a 
certain  duty,  disobeyed  his  Master,  and  trying  to  escape 
fiora  Him  took  passage  on  board  a  ship,  fancying  that  he 


My  First  Voyage.  83 

could  get  out  of  God's  sight.  Did  he  succeed  ?  No  !  God 
had  His  eye  on  Jonah,  and  caused  a  hurricane  which  well- 
nigh  sent  the  ship  to  the  bottom.  Not  till  Jonah  was  hove 
overboard  did  the  tempest  cease.  Now,  lads,  just  under- 
stand there  are  some  aboard  this  brig  who  are  disobeying 
Him  and  offending  Him  just  as  much  as  Jonah  did,  and 
it's  not  for  me  to  say  that  He  does  not  allow  these  calms,  so 
unusual  in  this  latitude,  to  prevail  in  consequence.  That's 
all  I've  got  to  say,  lads,  but  ye'll  just  think  over  it ;  and  now 
go  forward." 

Whether  or  not  the  men  did  think  over  it,  or  exactly 
understood  what  the  old  man  meant,  I  cannot  say,  but  the 
next  morning  the  carpenter  came  aft  to  the  captain  and  said 
that  he  had  had  a  dream  which  made  him  remember  that 
the  evening  before  Andrews's  sugar  was  found  to  have  been 
stolen,  Ben  Grimes  had  borrowed  an  axe  from  him,  on 
examining  which  afterwards  he  discovered  that  a  small  piece 
had  been  broken  off  on  one  side,  and  that  Grimes  acknow- 
ledged he  had  done  it  by  striking  a  nail  in  a  piece  of  wood 
he  was  chopping  up.  On  hearing  this  the  captain  again 
summoned  all  hands  aft,  and  ordered  Andrews  to  bring  his 
sugar  cask.  There  in  the  head  was  found  a  piece  of  iron 
which  exactly  fitted  the  notch  in  the  axe  which  the  carpenter 
produced. 

"  Now,  lads,  say  who  stole  Andrews's  sugar  and  concealed 
it  in  Pulley's  chest?"  asked  the  skipper. 

"  Grimes  !  Grimes  !  no  doubt  about  it ! "  shouted  all  the 
men,  with  the  exception  of  the  individual  mentioned  and 
one  other. 

"  You  are  right,  lads,  and  Pulley  is  innocent,"  said  the 
skipper. 

"  As  the  babe  unborn,"  answered  the  men,  and  they  all, 
except  Grimes  and  his  chum,  following  my  example,  gave 
Jim  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand. 


84  Peter  Trawl. 

I  thought  that  he  would  have  blubbered  outright  with 
pleasure.  Though  I  was  sure  that  Jim  had  never  touched 
the  sugar,  I  was  thankful  that  the  captain  and  the  rest  were 
convinced  of  his  innocence. 

Before  noon  that  day  a  dark  bank  of  clouds  was  seen 
corning  up  from  the  southward.  In  a  short  time  several 
blick  masses  broke  away  from  the  main  body,  and  came 
careering  across  the  sky. 

"Away  aloft  and  shorten  sail,"  cried  the  skipper.  "  Be 
smart,  lads ! " 

We  hurried  up  the  rigging,  for  there  was  no  time  to  be 
lost 

"  Two  reefs  in  the  fore-topsail !  Furl  the  main-topsail ! 
Let  fly  topgallant  sheets  ! " 

These  orders  came  in  quick  succession.  The  captain, 
aided  by  the  mate,  was  meantime  lowering  the  mainsail. 
He  at  first,  I  believe,  intended  to  heave  the  brig  to,  but 
before  the  canvas  was  reduced  the  gale  struck  her — over  she 
heeled — the  top-gallant  sails,  with  their  masts,  were  carried 
away  just  as  Jim  and  I  were  about  mounting  the  rigging,  he 
the  fore  and  I  the  main,  to  furl  them ;  the  mainsail,  only 
half  lowered,  flying  out,  nearly  knocked  the  mate  overboard. 
I  had  got  down  on  the  weather  side  of  the  main-topsail  yard 
to  assist  the  hands  on  it,  when  the  straining  canvas  broke 
loose  from  our  grasp,  and  at  the  same  instant  the  topgallant 
rigging,  striking  the  two  men  on  the  lee  yardarm,  hurled 
them  off  into  the  foaming  ocean. 

To  lower  a  boat  was  impossible;  we  had  not  strength 
sufficient  as  it  was  to  clear  away  the  top-gallant  masts,  and 
to  hand  the  topsails.  A  grating  and  some  spars  were  hove 
to  them  by  the  mate,  who  then,  axe  in  hand,  sprang  aloft  to 
assist  us.  None  too  soon,  for  we  could  do  nothing  but 
cling  on  to  the  yard  till  the  top-gallant  rigging  was  cleared 
away.  The  men  on  the  foreyard  were  more  successful,  and 


My  First   Voyage.  85 

I  saw  Jim  gallantly  using  his  knife  in  a  fashion  which  at 
length  cleared  away  the  wreck  and  enabled  them  to  secure 
the  sail.  The  mate  succeeded  also  in  his  object,  and  we 
were  expecting  them  to  assist  us  in  attempting  to  furl  the 
main-topsail,  when  the  captain,  seeing  that  we  were  not 
likely  to  succeed,  calling  us  down,  ordered  the  helm  to  be 
put  up  and  the  yards  squared  away,  and  off  we  ran  before 
the  fast-increasing  gale,  leaving,  we  feared,  our  two  ship- 
mates, the  carpenter  and  Grimes,  to  perish  miserably. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
I  EXPERIENCE   THE  PERILS  OF  THE  SEA. 

THE  Good  Intent  ran  on  before  the  increasing  gale. 
The  fast-rising  seas  came  rolling  up  astern,  threaten- 
ing every  instant  to  poop  her,  for,  having  a  full  cargo,  she 
was  much  deeper  in  the  water  than  when  we  sailed  from 
Portsmouth.  We  quickly  lost  sight  of  the  grating  and  spars 
thrown  to  our  hapless  shipmates,  and  they  themselves  had 
before  then  disappeared. 

The  first  thing  now  to  be  done  was  to  get  the  main- 
topsail  stowed,  for,  flying  wildly  in  the  wind,  it  seemed  as  if 
about  to  carry  away  the  main-topmast  The  mate,  Andrews, 
and  two  other  men  were  on  the  point  of  going  aloft  to  try 
and  haul  it  in,  in  spite  of  the  danger  they  ran  in  so  doing, 
when  a  report  like  that  of  thunder  was  heard,  and  the  sail, 
split  into  ribbons,  was  torn  from  the  bolt-ropes.  The  frag- 
ments, after  streaming  out  wildly  in  the  wind,  lashed 
themselves  round  and  round  the  yard,  thus  saving  us  the 
hazardous  task  of  attempting  to  furl  the  sail. 

The  brig  flew  on,  now  plunging  into  the  roaring  and 
foaming  seas,  now  rolling  from  side  to  side  so  that  it  was 
difficult  to  keep  our  feet.  The  fore-staysail  and  jib  had 
been  stowed  in  time,  and  the  flying  jib  had  been  blown 
away,  so  that  the  fore-topsail  was  the  only  sail  set. 

Thus  hour  after  hour  passed.     Had  we  been  running  in 


I  Experience  the  Perils  of  the  Sea.          87 

the  opposite  direction  we  should  have  been  making  good 
progress,  but  we  were  now  going  farther  and  farther  from 
our  destination,  to  be  driven  into  even  worse  weather,  and 
perhaps  to  have  to  make  our  way  south  round  the  Irish 
coast.  To  avoid  this,  the  captain  was  anxious  to  heave  the 
brig  to,  and  I  saw  him  and  the  mate  consulting  how  it  could 
be  done.  It  was  a  dangerous  operation,  they  both  knew, 
for  should  she  not  quickly  come  up  to  the  wind,  a  sea 
might  strike  her  on  the  broadside  and  sweep  over  her 
deck,  or  throw  her  on  her  beam-ends. 

"  If  we  get  a  lull  it  must  be  done,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ! "  answered  the  mate ;  and  he  ordered  the 
men  to  stand  ready  to  brace  round  the  fore-topsail-yard  as 
the  brig  came  up  to  the  wind. 

Still  we  watched  in  vain  for  the  wished-for  lull.  In  spite 
of  the  roaring  seas  I  felt  wonderfully  sleepy,  and  could 
scarcely  keep  my  eyes  open  as  I  held  on  to  a  stanchion  at 
the  after-part  of  the  deck.  Jim  was  much  in  the  same 
condition,  for  we  had  both  been  on  foot  since  the  morning 
watch  had  been  called,  and  we  had  had  no  food  all  day. 

The  kind  captain,  observing  the  state  we  were  in,  instead 
of  abusing  us,  as  some  skippers  would  have  done,  ordered 
us  to  go  below  to  find  something  to  eat  and  to  lie  down  ti.l 
we  were  wanted.  We  were  making  our  way  forward  when 
he  shouted  out, 

"Go  into  the  cabin,  laddies.  There  is  some  bread  and 
cheese  in  the  pantry,  and  ye'll  be  ready  at  hand  when  I  call 
ye." 

We  quickly  slipped  below,  and  he  again  closed  the  com- 
panion-hatch which  he  had  opened  to  let  us  descend.  The 
other  hatches  had  been  battened  down,  for  at  any  moment  a 
sea  might  break  on  board,  and  if  they  had  not  been  secured 
might  fill  the  vessel. 

Not  a  ray  of  light  came  below,  but  Jim  and  I,    u^e  ( f 


88  Peter  Trawl. 

about,  found  the  bread  and  cheese  we  were  in  search  of 
and  soon  satisfied  our  hunger.  We  then,  thankful  to  get 
some  rest,  lay  down  on  the  deck  of  the  cabin — which  lands- 
men would  call  the  floor — for  we  should  have  considered  it 
presumptuous  to  stretch  ourselves  in  one  of  the  berths  or 
even  on  the  locker ;  and  in  spite  of  the  rolling  and  pitching 
of  the  brig  we  were  quickly  fast,  asleep. 

I  seldom  dreamed  in  those  days,  but,  though  tired  as  I 
was,  my  slumbers  were  troubled.  Now  I  fancied  that  the 
brig  was  sinking,  but  that,  somehow  or  other,  I  came  to  the 
surface,  and  was  striking  out  amid  the  raging  billows  for  the 
land ;  then  I  thought  that  I  was  again  on  board,  and  that 
the  brig,  after  rushing  rapidly  on,  struck  upon  a  huge  reef  of 
black  rocks,  when,  in  an  instant,  her  timbers  split  asunder, 
and  we  were  all  hurled  into  the  seething  waters.  Suddenly 
I  was  awoke  by  the  thundering,  crashing  sound  of  a 
tremendous  blow  on  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  I  found 
myself  hove  right  across  the  cabin,  clutching  fast  hold  of 
Jim,  who  shouted  out,  "  Hillo,  Peter,  what  is  the  matter  ? 
Are  we  all  going  to  be  drowned  ?  " 

Before  I  could  answer  him  there  came  from  above  us — 
indeed,  it  had  begun  while  he  was  speaking — a  deafening 
mingling  of  terrific  noises,  of  rending  planks,  of  falling  spars, 
the  rush  and  swirl  and  roar  of  waters,  amid  which  could  be 
heard  the  faint  cries  of  human  voices. 

The  brig  had  been  thrown  on  her  beam-ends;  of  that 
there  could  be  no  doubt,  for  when  we  attempted  to  get  on 
our  feet  we  found  the  deck  of  the  cabin  almost  perpendi- 
cular. 

"  Do  you  think  the  brig  will  go  down  ?  "  shouted  Jim. 

The  hubbub  was  so  great  that  it  was  impossible  to  hear 
each  other  unless  we  spoke  at  the  very  top  of  our  voices. 

"We  must,  at  all  events,  get  on  deck  as  soon  as  we  can, 
and  do  our  best  to  save  ourselves,"  I  answered. 


I  Experience  the  Perils  of  the  Sea.         89 

Though  I  said  this,  I  had  very  little  hope  of  escaping,  as 
I  thought  that  the  vessel  might  at  any  moment  founder. 
Even  to  get  on  deck  was  no  easy  matter,  for  everything  in 
the  cabin  was  upside  down — boxes  and  bales,  and  casks 
and  articles  of  all  sorts,  thrown  out  of  the  lockers,  mixed 
with  the  furniture  which  had  broken  adrift,  were  knocking 
about,  while  all  the  time  we  were  in  complete  darkness. 
The  dead  lights  had  fortunately  been  closed  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  gale,  and  the  companion-hatch  remained 
secure,  so  that,  as  yet,  no  water  came  below. 

Getting  on  our  feet  we  were  endeavouring  to  grope  our 
way  to  the  companion-ladder  when  we  heard  two  loud 
crashes  in  quick  succession,  and  directly  afterwards,  the  brig 
righting  with  a  violent  jerk,  we  were  thrown  half  across  the 
cabin,  bruised  and  almost  stunned,  among  the  numberless 
things  knocking  violently  about.  After  a  time,  on  recover- 
ing our  senses,  we  picked  ourselves  up  and  made  another 
attempt  to  get  on  deck.  I  now  began  to  hope  that  the  brig 
would  not  go  down  as  soon  as  I  had  expected,  but  still  I 
knew  that  she  was  in  a  fearfully  perilous  condition.  I  was 
sure  from  the  crashing  sounds  we  had  heard  that  both  her 
masts  were  gone  :  that  very  probably  also  she  had  sprung  a 
leak,  while  we  were  far  to  the  northward  of  the  usual  track 
of  vessels. 

At  last  we  found  our  way  to  the  cabin  door,  but  groped 
about  in  vain  for  the  companion-ladder,  till  Jim  suggested 
that  it  had  been  unshipped  when  the  vessel  went  over. 
After  some  time  we  found  it,  but  had  great  difficulty,  in 
consequence  of  the  way  the  brig  was  rolling,  to  get  it 
replaced.  As  soon  as  it  was  so  I  mounted  and  shouted  as 
loud  as  I  could  to  some  one  to  come  and  lift  off  the  hatch. 

No  voice  replied.  Again  and  again  I  shouted,  fancying 
that  the  people  might  have  gone  forward  for  some  reason  or 
other  and  had  forgotten  us. 


go  Peter  Trawl. 

"What  can  have  happened?"  cried  Jim,  in  a  toae  of 
alarm. 

I  dared  not  answer  him,  for  I  feared  the  worst 

Feeling  about,  I  discovered  an  axe  slung  just  inside  the 
companion-hatch,  on  which  I  began  hammering  away  with 
all  my  might — but  still  no  one  came. 

"Jim,  I'm  afraid  they  must  all  be  gone,"  I  cried  out  at 
last. 

"Gone!"  he  exclaimed.  "What,  the  old  captain,  and 
mate,  and  Andrews,  and  the  rest  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  so,"  I  answered. 

Again  I  shouted  and  knocked.     Still  no  one  came. 

"  We  must  break  open  the  hatch,"  I  said,  and  I  attempted 
to  force  up  the  top  with  the  axe,  but  did  not  succeed. 

"Let  me  try,"  cried  Jim;  "my  arm  is  stronger  than 
yours." 

I  got  down  the  ladder  and  gave  him  the  axe.  He  took 
my  place  and  began  working  away  at  the  part  where  the 
hatch  was  placed.  I  could  hear  him  giving  stroke  after 
stroke,  but  could  see  nothing,  for  the  hatch  fitted  so  closely 
that  not  a  gleam  of  light  came  through  it. 

Presently  I  heard  him  sing  out,  "  I've  done  it,"  and  I 
knew  by  the  rush  of  cold  damp  air  which  came  down  below 
that  he  had  got  off  the  hatch. 

Still  all  was  dark,  but  looking  up  I  could  distinguish  the 
cloudy  sky.  Not  till  then  did  I  know  that  it  was  night. 
We  had  gone  to  sleep  in  broad  daylight,  and  I  had  no  idea 
of  the  number  of  hours  which  had  passed  by  since  then.  I 
sprang  up  the  companion-ladder  after  Jim,  who  had  stepped 
out  on  deck. 

The  spectacle  which  met  my  eyes  was  appalling.  The 
masts  were  gone,  carried  away  a  few  feet  from  the  deck — 
only  the  stumps  were  standing — everything  had  been  swept 
clcnr  away,  the  caboose,  the  boats,  the  bulwarks  ;  the  brij 


I  Experience  the  Perils  of  the  Sea.         gi 

was  a  complete  wreck;  the  dark  foam-topped  seas  were 
rising  up  high  above  the  deck,  threatening  to  engulf  her. 

1  he  masts  were  still  alongside  hanging  on  by  the  rigging, 
their  butt  ends  every  now  and  then  striking  against  her  with 
so  terrific  a  force  that  I  feared  they  must  before  long  drive 
a  hole  through  the  planking.  As  far  as  I  could  make  out 
through  the  thick  gloom,  some  spars  which  had  apparently 
fallen  before  the  masts  gave  way  lay  about  the  deck,  kept 
from  being  washed  away  by  the  rigging  attached  to  them 
having  become  entangled  in  the  stanchions  and  the  remain- 
ing portions  of  the  shattered  bulwarks. 

Not  one  of  our  shipmates  could  we  see.  Again  we 
shouted,  in  the  faint  hope  that  some  of  them  might  be  lying 
concealed  forwaid.  No  one  answered. 

"  Maybe  that  they  have  gone  down  into  the  fore-peak," 
said  Jim ;  "  I'll  go  and  knock  on  the  hatch.  They  can't 
hear  our  shouts  from  where  we  are." 

I  tried  to  persuade  Jim  not  to  make  the  attempt  till  day- 
light, for  a  sea  might  break  on  board  and  wash  him  away. 

"  But  do  you  see,  Peter,  we  must  try  and  get  help  to  cut 
away  the  lower  rigging,  which  keeps  the  masts  battering 
against  the  sides  ?  "  he  answered. 

"  Then  I'll  go  with  you,"  I  said.  "  We'll  share  the  same 
fate,  whatever  that  may  be." 

"  No,  no,  Peter  !  You  stay  by  the  companion-hatch  ; 
see,  there  are  plenty  of  spars  for  me  to  catch  hold  of,  and 
I'll  take  good  care  not  to  get  washed  away,"  answered  Jim, 
beginning  his  journey  forward. 

Notwithstanding  what  he  said,  I  was  following  him  when 
I  fancied  that  I  heard  a  faint  groan.  I  stopped  to  listen. 
It  might  be  only  the  sound  produced  by  the  rubbing  of  two 
spars  together  or  the  working  of  the  timbers.  Again  I 
heard  the  groan.  I  was  now  sure  that  it  was  uttered  by  one 
of  our  shipmates.  It  came  from  a  p-irt  of  the  deck  covered 


g2  Peter  Trawl. 

by  a  mass  of  broken  spars  and  sails  and  rigging.  Though  I 
could  not  see  as  far,  I  knew  that  Jim  had  reached  the  fore- 
hatchway  by  hearing  him  shouting  and  knocking  with  the 
back  of  the  axe. 

"  Are  any  of  them  there  ?"  I  cried  out. 

"  No  !     Not  one,  I'm  afeared,"  he  answered. 

"  Then  come  and  help  me  to  see  if  there  is  any  person 
under  these  spars  here,"  I  said. 

Of  course  we  had  to  bawl  out  to  each  other  at  the  top  of 
our  voices  on  account  of  the  clashing  of  the  seas,  the  groan- 
ing and  creaking  of  the  timbers  and  bulk-heads,  and  the 
thundering  of  the  masts  against  the  sides. 

Jim  soon  joined  me.  We  had  to  be  very  cautious  how 
we  moved  about,  for  besides  the  risk  there  was  at  any 
moment  of  a  sea  sweeping  across  the  deck,  we  might  on 
account  of  the  darkness  have  stepped  overboard.  We  lost 
no  time  in  crawling  to  the  spot  whence  I  heard  the  groans 
proceeding. 

On  feeling  about  we  soon  discovered  a  man,  his  body 
pressed  down  on  the  deck  by  a  heavy  spar,  and  partly  con- 
cealed by  the  canvas. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  cried  Jim.     "  Speak  to  us,— <lo." 

A  groan  was  the  only  answer. 

"  Do  you  try  and  lift  the  spar,  Jim,  and  I'll  drag  him  out," 
I  said. 

Jim  tried  to  do  as  I  told  him,  but  though  he  exerted  all 
his  strength  he  could  not  succeed  in  raising  the  spar. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  oh,  dear !  the  poor  fellow  will  die  if  we 
cannot  get  him  free  soon,"  I  exclaimed,  in  despair. 

"This  will  do  it,"  cried  Jim,  who  had  been  searching 
about,  and  now  came  with  the  broken  end  of  a  top-gallant- 
yard  to  serve  as  a  handspike.  By  its  .means  he  prised  up 
the  spar,  while  I  as  gently  as  I  could  dragged  out  the  man 
by  the  shoulders.  No  sooner  did  I  feel  his  jacket  than  I 


I  Experience  ike  Perils  of  the  Sea.          93 

was  almost  sure  that  he  was  no  other  than  our  good  old 
skipper.  He  was  breathing  heavily,  and  had  apparently 
been  rendered  unconscious  by  a  blow  on  the  head.  I  at 
length  got  him  out  from  under  the  spar. 

"We  must  carry  him  below  before  another  sea  breaks  on 
board,"  I  said.  "  Come,  help  me,  Jim." 

Together  we  lifted  the  old  man,  and  staggering  along  the 
slippery  deck,  reached  the  companion-hatch  in  safety.  To 
get  him  down  without  injury  was  more  difficult.  I  going 
first  and  taking  his  legs,  and  Jim  holding  him  by  the 
shoulders,  we  succeeded  at  last.  While  Jim  supported  him 
at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  I  hunted  about  till  I  found  a 
tinder-box  and  matches  and  lighted  the  cabin  lamp.  It 
showed  us,  as  I  had  supposed,  that  the  person  I  had  rescued 
was  our  captain.  He  was  pale  as  death,  and  bleeding  from 
a  wound  in  the  head.  The  light  also  exhibited  the  utter 
confusion  into  which  the  cabin  had  been  thrown.  I 
managed,  however,  to  clear  a  way  to  the  state  cabin,  to 
which  we  carried  the  captain,  and  then  getting  off  his  wet 
clothes  placed  him  between  the  blankets  in  his  berth. 
Fortunately,  there  was  a  cask  of  water  in  the  pantry,  which 
enabled  us  to  wash  and  bind  up  his  head,  so  as  to  staunch 
the  blood  flowing  from  it.  The  operation  was  performed 
but  roughly,  as  all  the  time  the  sound  of  the  masts  thunder- 
ing like  battering  rams  against  the  side  of  the  vessel  warned 
us  that  we  must  try  to  cut  them  adrift  without  delay.  I 
feared  that  already  they  had  done  some  serious  damage. 
Even  before  we  left  the  captain  he  seemed  to  have  some- 
what recovered  his  consciousness,  for  I  heard  him  mutter, 
"  Be  smart,  lads.  Tel!  mate — cut  away  wreck." 

Of  course  we  did  not  let  him  know  that  besides  himself 
we  alone  of  all  the  crew  were  left  alive.  In  the  cabin  I 
found  another  axe,  and  Jim  and  I,  going  on  deck,  began 
the  difficult  and  dangerous  task  we  had  undertaken. 


94  Peter  Trawl. 

The  lower  rigging,  on  what  had  been  the  weather  side, 
had  entirely  given  way,  so  that  we  had  only  to  cut  that  on 
the  opposite  side,  but  in  leaning  over  to  reach  the  shrouds 
at  the  chains  we  ran  a  fearful  risk  of  being  carried  off  by 
the  ?ea  as  the  vessel  rolled  from  side  to  side. 

We  first  tried  to  clear  the  mainmast.  We  had  cut  two 
of  the  shrouds,  when  a  sea,  having  driven  the  butt  end 
against  the  side  with  fearful  force>  lifted  it  just  as  the  brig 
rolled  over,  and  it  came  sweeping  along  the  deck,  nearly 
taking  Jim  and  me  off  our  legs.  With  the  greatest  difficulty 
we  escaped. 

"It  shan't  do  that  again,"  cried  Jim ;  and  dashing  forward 
with  axe  uplifted  he  cut  the  last  shroud,  and  the  mast 
was  carried  away  by  the  next  sea. 

We  had  still  to  get  rid  of  the  foremast  and  bowsprit,  which 
were  doing  as  much  damage  as  the  mainmast  had  done,  by 
every  now  and  then  ramming  away  at  the  bows  with  a  force 
sufficient,  it  seemed,  to  knock  a  hole  through  them  at  any 
moment.  I  felt  anxious  to  return  to  the  cabin  to  attend  to 
our  old  captain,  but  the  safety  of  the  vessel  required  us  not 
to  delay  a  moment  longer  than  could  be  helped  in  cutting 
away  the  remaining  masts  and  bowsprit 

I  observed  soon  after  the  mainmast  had  gone  that  the 
wind  had  fallen,  and  that  there  was  someAvhat  less  sea 
running,  and  in  a  short  time  the  light  began  to  increase. 
I  do  not  think  that  otherwise  we  should  have  accomplished 
our  task.  Jim  sprang  forward  with  his  axe,  taking  alwa)  s 
the  post  of  danger,  and  hacking  away  at  rope  after  rope  as 
he  could  manage  to  reach  them. 

I  followed  his  example.  O  ten  we  had  to  hold  on  for 
our  lives  as  the  seas  washed  over  us.  At  length  the 
work  was  accomplished.  We  gave  a  shout  of  satisfaction 
as,  the  last  rope  severed,  we  saw  the  mass  of  wreck  drop 
clear  of  the  brig.  But  our  work  was  rot  done.  There 


I  Experience  the  Perils  of  the  Sea.          95 

we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  North  Sea,  without  masts  or 
canvas  or  boats,  our  bulwarks  gone,  the  brig  sorely  battered, 
and  only  our  two  selves  and  our  poor  old  captain  to 
navigate  her.  To  preserve  his  life  our  constant  attention 
was  required. 

"We'll  go  below  and  see  how  the  old  man  gets  on,"  I 
said.  "  There's  nothing  more  for  us  to  do  on  deck  that  I 
can  see  at  present." 

"Not  so  sure  of  that,  Peter,"  answered  Jim.  •  "You  go 
and  look  after  the  skipper,  and  I'll  just  see  how  matters  are 
forward  and  down  in  the  hold." 

As  I  felt  sure  that  the  captain  ought  not  to  be  left  longer 
alone,  I  hurried  into  the  cabin.  He  was  conscious,  but 
still  scarcely  able  to  speak.  I  told  him  that  we  had  cleared 
away  the  wreck  of  the  masts,  and  that  the  weather  was 
moderating. 

"  Thank  God ! "  he  murmured.  Then,  getting  some 
more  water,  I  again  dressed  his  wounded  head,  and  after- 
wards proposed  lighting  the  cabin  fire  and  trying  to  make 
him  some  broth. 

"  Water !  I  only  want  water,"  he  said,  in  the  same  low 
voice  as  before. 

I  procured  some  in  a  mug.  He  drank  it,  and  then  said, 
"  Get  up  jury-mas 's  and  steer  west,"  not  understanding  as 
yet,  I  suppose,  that  the  crew  were  lost. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  I  answered,  being  unwilling  to  undeceive 
him,  though  I  wondered  how  Jim  and  I  could  alone  obey 
his  orders ;  yet,  if  we  were  ever  to  reach  a  port,  jury-masts 
must  be  got  up. 

As  I  could  do  nothing  more  just  then  for  the  captain,  I 
was  going  on  deck,  when  I  met  Jim  at  the  companion- 
hatch,  his  face  wearing  an  expression  of  the  greatest 
alarm. 

"Things   are   very  bad,    Peter,"   he   exclaimed.     "The 


g6  Peter  Trawl. 

water  is  coming  in  through  a  big  hole  in  the  bows  like  a 
mill-sluice,  and  I'm  much  afeared  that  before  long  the  old 
craft  will  carry  us  and  the  captain  to  the  bottom." 

"Not  if  we  keep  our  wits  awake,  Jim,"  I  answered. 
"  We  must  try  to  stop  the  hole.  Come  along." 

Hurrying  forward,  we  dived  down  into  the  fore-peak.  We 
could  now  venture  to  leave  the  hatch  off,  so  as  to  give  light 
below.  Sure  enough  the  water  was  coming  in  terribly  fast, 
but  not  quite  so  fast  as  Jim  described,  though  already  the 
men's  chests  and  other  articles  were  afloat. 

The  largest  hole  was,  I  saw,  in  the  very  centre  of  a  bunk, 
so  that  we  could  easily  get  at  it.  Dragging  out  all  the 
blankets  from  the  other  bunks,  I  rammed  them  into  the 
hole. 

"  Hand  me  a  board  or  die  top  of  a  chest — knock  it  off 
quick  !  "  I  sang  out. 

Jim,  leaping  on  a  chest,  wrenched  off  the  lid  and  gave  it 
me. 

"  Now  that  handspike." 

There  was  one  close  to  him.  By  pressing  the  board 
against  the  blankets,  and  jamming  the  handspike  down 
between  it  and  the  outer  corner  of  the  bunk,  the  gush  of 
water  was  stopped. 

"  Here's  another  hole  still  more  forward,  I  can  see  the 
water  bubbling  in,"  cried  Jim,  holding  a  lantern,  which  he 
had  lit  that  he  might  look  round,  to  the  place. 

We  stopped  it  as  we  had  the  first 

"  It  will  be  a  mercy  if  there  are  no  other  holes  in  the  side 
under  the  cargo,"  he  said.  "  We'll  try  the  well." 

We  returned  on  deck,  and  Jim  sounded  the  well. 

"  Six  feet  of  water  or  more,"  he  said,  in  a  mournful  tone, 
as  he  examined  the  rod. 

"  Then  we  must  rig  the  pumps  and  try  to  clear  her !  "  I 
exclaimed.  "  It  will  be  a  hard  job,  but  it  may  be  done, 


I  Experience  the  Perils  of  the  Sea.          97 

and  we  must  not  think  of  letting  the  old  craft  sink  under 
our  feet." 

We  set  to  work,  and  pumped  and  pumped  away,  the 
water  coming  up  in  a  clear  stream,  till  our  backs  and  arms 
ached,  and  we  felt  every  moment  ready  to  drop,  but  we 
cheered  each  other  on,  resolved  not  to  give  in  as  long  as  we 
could  stand  on  our  legs. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ALONE  ON  THE  OCEAN. 

"  A  RE  we  gaining  on  the  leaks,  think  you,  Jim  ?  "  I  at 
JT\  length  gasped  out,  for  I  felt  that  if  our  efforts  were 
producing  some  effect  we  should  be  encouraged  to  continue 
them,  but  that  if  not  it  would  be  wise  before  we  were 
thoroughly  exhausted  to  try  and  build  a  raft  on  which  we 
might  have  a  chance  of  saving  our  lives. 

My  companion  made  no  reply,  but  giving  a  look  of  doubt, 
still  pumped  on,  the  perspiration  streaming  down  his  face 
and  neck  showing  the  desperate  exertions  he  was  making. 
I  was  much  in  the  same  condition,  though,  like  Jim,  I  had 
on  only  my  shirt  and  trousers.  I  was  the  first  to  give  in, 
and,  utterly  unable  to  move  my  arms,  I  sank  down  on  the 
deck.  Jim,  still  not  uttering  a  word,  doggedly  worked  on, 
bringing  up  a  stream  of  water  which  flowed  out  through  the 
scuppers. 

It  seemed  wonderful  that  he  could  go  on,  but  after  some 
time  he  also  stopped,  and  staggered  to  where  he  had  left 
the  rod. 

"  I'll  try,"  he  said. 

I  gazed  at  him  with  intense  anxiety. 

"  Three  inches  less.  We're  gaining  on  the  leaks  !  he 
exclaimed. 

I  sprang  to  rr\y  feet  and  seized  the  brake.  Jim  struck 
out  with  his  arms  "to  tike  the  tar.is  oat  of  the  muscles,"  a 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  99 

he  said,  while  he  sat  for  a  minute  on  the  deck,  and  again 
went  at  it. 

All  this  time  the  wind  was  falling  and  the  sea  going  down. 
As  we  laboured  at  the  pumps  we  looked  out  anxiously  for 
the  appearance  of  a  vessel  which  might  afford  us  assistance, 
but  not  a  sail  appeared  above  the  horizon.  We  must  depend 
on  our  own  exertions  for  preserving  our  lives.  Though  a 
calm  would  enable  us  the  better  to  free  the  brig  of  water 
and  to  get  up  jury  masts,  it  would  lessen  our  chance  of 
obtaining  help.  Yet  while  the  brig  was  rolling  and  tumbling 
about  we  could  do  nothing  but  pump,  and  pump  we  did 
till  our  strength  failed  us,  and  we  both  sank  down  on  the 
deck. 

My  eyes  closed,  and  I  felt  that  I  was  dropping  off  to 
sleep.  How  long  I  thus  lay  I  could  not  tell,  when  I  heard 
Jim  sing  out, 

"  Hurrah !  we've  gained  six  inches  on  the  leak,"  and 
clank,  clank,  clank,  went  his  pump. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  sprang  up,  but  I  got,  somehow  or 
other,  on  my  feet,  and,  seizing  the  brake,  laboured  away 
more  like  a  person  in  his  sleep  than  one  awake. 

I  saw  the  water  flowing  freely,  so  I  knew  that  I  was  not 
pumping  uselessly.  Presently  I  heard  Jim  cry  out, 

"  Hillo  !  look  there  !  " 

Turning  my  eyes  aft,  I  saw  the  captain  holding  on  by  the 
companion-hatch,  and  gazing  in  utter  astonishment  along 
the  deck.  His  head  bound  up  in  a  white  cloth,  a  blanket 
over  his  shoulders,  his  face  pale  as  death,  he  looked  more 
like  a  ghost  than  a  living  mam. 

"Where  are  they,  lads?"  he  exclaimed  at  length,  in  a 
hollow  voice. 

"All  gone  overboard,  sir,"  answered  Jim,  thinking  he 
ought  to  speak. 

The    old  n-a-\   en   hearing  this,    fell  flat  on  the  deck. 


zoo  Peter  Trawl. 

We  ran  and  lifted  him  up.  At  first  I  thought  he  was  dead, 
but  he  soon  opened  his  eyes  and  whispered, 

"  It  was  a  passing  weakness,  and  I'll  be  better  soon. 
Trust  in  God,  laddies ;  go  on  pumping,  and  He'll  save 
your  lives,"  he  said. 

"  We'll  take  you  below  first,  sir.  You'll  be  better  in  your 
berth  than  here,"  I  answered. 

"  No,  no  !  I'll  stay  on  deck ;  the  fresh  air  will  do  me 
good,"  he  said ;  but  scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  words  than 
he  fell  back  senseless. 

"  We  must  get  him  below,  or  he'll  die  here,"  I  said ;  so 
Jim  and  I  carried  him  down  as  before,  and  got  him  into 
his  bed. 

"  He  wants  looking  after,"  said  Jim  ;  "so,  Peter,  do  you 
tend  him,  and  I'll  go  back  to  the  pumps." 

Thinking  that  he  wanted  food  more  than  anything  else, 
I  lighted  the  cabin  fire,  and  collecting  some  materials  from 
the  pantry  for  broth  in  a  saucepan,  put  it  on  to  boil. 

Though  I  had  been  actively  engaged,  I  felt  able  once 
more  to  work  the  pumps.  Jim  said  that  he  was  certain  the 
water  in  the  hold  was  decreasing,  while,  as  the  brig  was 
steadier,  less  was  coming  in.  This  increased  our  hopes  of 
keeping  her  afloat,  but  we  should  want  rest  and  sleep,  and 
when  we  knocked  off  the  water  might  once  more  gain  on 
us. 

We  did  not  forget,  however,  what  the  captain  had  said. 
When  I  could  pump  no  longer  I  ran  below,  freshly  dressed 
the  old  man's  head,  and  gave  him  some  broth,  which  was 
by  this  time  ready.  It  evidently  did  him  good.  Then, 
taking  a  basin  of  it  myself,  I  ran  up  on  deck  with  another 
for  Jim. 

"  That  puts  life  into  one,"  he  said,  as,  seated  on  the 
deck  with  his  legs  stretched  out,  he  swallowed  it  nearly 
scalding  hot.  A  draught  of  water  which  he  told  me  to 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  101 

bring,  however,  cooled  his  throat,  and  he  again  set  to,  I 
following  his  example. 

By  this  time  the  day  was  far  advanced,  and  even  Jim  con- 
fessed that  he  must  soon  give  in,  while  I  could  scarcely  stand. 

The  wind  had  continued  to  go  down,  but  the  sea  still 
rolled  the  vessel  about  too  much  to  enable  us  to  get  up  jury- 
masts,  even  if  we  had  had  strength  to  move,  before  dark. 

"  It's  no  use  trying  to  hold  out  longer,  I  must  get  a  snoose," 
sighed  Jim. 

He  looked  as  if  he  were  half  asleep  already. 

"  We  had  better  go  and  lie  down  in  the  cabin,  so  that  we 
may  be  ready  to  help  the  captain,"  I  answered ;  "  but  I'll 
tell  you  what,  we'll  take  a  look  into  the  fore-peak  first,  to 
see  how  the  leaks  are  going  on  there." 

"  Oh,  they  are  all  right,"  said  Jim.  "We  shouldn't  have 
lessened  the  water  so  much  if  anything  had  given  way." 

Still  I  persisted  in  going  forward,  and  Jim  followed  me. 
Just  then  the  vessel  gave  a  pitch,  which  nearly  sent  me 
head  first  down  the  fore-hatchway.  As  we  got  below  I 
heard  the  sound  of  a  rush  of  water.  The  handspike  which 
secured  the  chief  leak  had  worked  out  of  its  place,  and  the 
blankets  and  boards  were  forced  inwards.  It  required  all 
our  remaining  strength  to  put  them  back.  Had  we  been 
asleep  aft  the  brig  would  have  filled  in  a  few  minutes.  Jim 
wanted  to  remain  forward,  but  I  persuaded  him  to  come  aft, 
being  sure  that  he  would  sleep  too  soundly  to  hear  the  water 
coming  in  should  the  leaks  break  out  afresh,  and  might  be 
drowned  before  he  awoke.  Having  done  all  we  could  to  secure 
the  handspikes,  we  crawled  rather  than  walked  to  the  cabin. 

We  were  thankful  to  find  that  the  captain  was  asleep,  so, 
without  loss  of  time,  Jim  crept  into  one  of  the  side  berths, 
and  I  lay  down  on  the  after  locker.  In  half  a  minute  I 
had  forgotten  what  had  happened  and  where  I  was.  As 
the  old  captain  and  we  two  lads  lay  fast  asleep  on  board  the 


IO2  Peter  Trawl. 

demasted  brig  out  there  in  the  wild  North  Sea,  a  kind  Provi- 
dence watched  over  us.  We  might  have  been  run  down, 
or,  the  leaks  breaking  out  afresh,  the  vessel  might  have 
foundered  before  we  awoke. 

A  voice  which  I  supposed  to  be  that  of  the  captain 
aroused  me.  The  sun  was  shining  down  through  the  cabin 
skylight.  The  vessel  was  floating  motionless.  Not  a  sound 
did  I  hear  except  Jim's  snoring.  I  tried  to  jump  up,  but 
found  my  limbs  terribly  stiff,  every  joint  aching.  I  made 
my  way,  however,  to  the  old  man's  berth. 

"How  are  you,  Captain  Finlay ? "  I  asked. 

He  did  not  reply.  I  stepped  nearer.  His  eyes  were 
closed.  I  thought  he  was  dead  ;  yet  I  heard  his  voice,  I 
was  certain  of  that.  I  stood  looking  at  him,  afraid  to 
ascertain  if  what  I  feared  was  the  case.  A  feeling  of  awe 
crept  over  me.  I  did  not  like  to  call  out  to  Jim,  yet  I 
wanted  him  to  come  to  me.  At  last  I  staggered  over  to 
the  berth  in  which  Jim  was  sleeping.  "  Jim !  Jim ! "  I 
said,  "  I  am  afraid  the  captain  is  taken  very  bad." 

Jim  did  not  awake,  so  I  shook  him  several  times  till  he 
sat  up,  still  half  asleep  and  rubbing  his  eyes. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Oh— ay,  I  know. 
We'll  turn  to  at  the  pumps,  Peter." 

I  repeated  what  I  had  said.  He  was  on  his  feet  in  a 
moment  He  moved  at  first  with  as  much  difficulty  as  I 
had  done.  "  Come  along,"  I  said,  and  together  we  went 
over  to  the  state  cabin.  We  looked  at  the  old  man  without 
speaking.  After  some  time  Jim  mustered  courage  to  touch 
his  hand.  To  my  great  relief  the  captain  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Praise  God,  who  has  preserved  us  during  the  night,  my 
lads ! "  were  the  first  words  he  spoke,  and  while  we  stood 
by  his  side  he  offered  up  a  short  prayer. 

He  then  told  us  to  go  on  deck  and  learn  the  state  of  the 
weather. 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  103 

We  hurried  up.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly ;  the  sea 
was  smooth  as  glass,  unbroken  by  a  single  ripple.  Jim 
did  not  forget  the  leak  ;  he  sounded  the  well. 

"  We  must  turn  to  at  the  pumps,  Peter,"  he  exclaimed. 
"  She's  made  a  good  deal  of  water  during  the  night,  and  it 
will  take  us  not  a  few  hours  to  get  it  out  of  her,  but  we'll 
not  give  in." 

"  I  should  think  not,  indeed,"  I  answered.  "But  I'll  go 
down  and  hear  what  the  captain  wants  us  to  do." 

Before  I  had  got  half  way  down  the  companion-ladder  I 
heard  the  clank  of  the  pump.  Jim  had  lost  no  time  in 
setting  to  work. 

I  hastened  to  the  state-room.  I  was  startled  by  the 
changed  appearance  of  the  captain's  countenance  during 
the  short  time  I  had  been  on  deck.  His  eyes  were  turned 
towards  me  with  a  fixed  look.  I  spoke,  but  he  did  not 
answer ;  I,  leant  over  him,  no  breath  proceeded  from  his 
lips ;  I  touched  his  brow,  then  I  knew  that  the  good  old 
man  was  dead.  Presently  I  closed  his  eyes,  and  with  a 
sad  heart  returned  on  deck. 

"  He's  gone,  Jim,"  I  cried. 

"  Gone  !  the  captain  gone  !  Then  I  am  sorry,"  answered 
Jim,  as  he  stopped  pumping  for  a  moment,  though  he  still 
held  the  brake  in  his  hands.  "Then,  Peter,  you  and  I 
must  just  do  our  best  to  take  the  brig  into  port  by  ourselves." 

"  I  was  thinking  the  same,  Jim,"  I  said.  "  He  told  us  to 
get  up  jury-masts  and  steer  west,  and  that's  just  what  we 
must  do  if  the  wind  will  let  us." 

The  death  of  our  good  captain  made  us  feel  very  sad,  for 
we  had  learned  to  look  upon  him  as  our  true  friend.  It 
caused  us  also  to  become  more  anxious  even  than  before 
about  ourselves.  With  his  assistance  we  had  had  little 
doubt,  should  the  weather  remain  fine,  of  reaching  a  port, 
but  as  we  were  neither  of  us  accustomed  to  the  groping 


IO4  Peter  Trawl. 

charts,  and  did  not  know  how  to  take  an  observation,  we 
could  not  tell  to  what  port  we  should  steer  our  course. 

We  had  both,  however,  dauntless  spirits,  and  had  been 
accustomed  from  our  childhood  to  trust  to  our  own  resources. 
Our  grand  idea  was  to  steer  west,  if  we  could  manage  to 
get  sail  on  the  brig,  but  before  this  could  be  attempted  we 
must  pump  her  free  of  water. 

There  was  no  time  to  mourn  for  our  old  captain,  so 
without  delay  we  turned  to  at  the  pumps.  My  arms  and 
legs  and  every  part  of  my  body  felt  very  stiff.  Jim  saw 
that  I  should  not  be  able  to  continue  long  at  it. 

"  Peter,  do  you  go  below  and  look  out  for  some  spars  to 
serve  as  jury-masts,"  he  said ;  "  I'll  meantime  keep  on. 
We  shall  soon  get  the  water  under ;  it's  only  a  wonder 
more  hasn't  come  in." 

Jim  and  I  never  thought  who  was  captain ;  if  I  told  him 
to  do  a  thing  he  did  it,  or  if  he  gave  an  order  I  did  not 
stop  to  consider  whether  or  not  he  had  the  right  to  com- 
mand. We  worked  together  as  if  we  had  bat  one  will. 

It  was  "a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  both 
together." 

There  were  plenty  of  spars  below,  and  I  soon  selected 
some  which  I  thought  would  serve  for  the  masts  and  yards 
we  required.  I  had  to  call  Jim  to  help  me  get  them  up 
on  deck. 

"There'll  be  no  use  for  these  till  we  can  find  some 
canvas  to  spread  on  them,"  I  observed. 

"Nor  till  we  get  a  breeze  to  fill  the  sails,"  said  Jim. 
"  However,  we'll  get  them  set  while  the  calm  lasts,  and  no 
doubt  you'll  find  as  many  as  we  can  carry  in  the  sail-room." 

This  was  right  aft,  down  a  small  hatchway.  While  Jim 
went  again  to  his  pump,  I  hunted  about  and  hauled  out 
two  top-gallantsails  and  royals,  a  fore-staysail,  a  second  jib, 
and  a  main-trysail.  If  we  could  set  all  thf  se  we  should  do 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  105 

well,  supposing  we  got  a  fair  breeze.  It  would  he  no  easy 
job,  however,  I  knew,  to  get  up  the  masts.  We  had  one 
advantage.  The  proper  masts  had  been  carried  away  some 
six  or  seven  feet  from  the  deck,  so  that  we  might  lash  the 
spars  to  them.  Before  setting  to  work  I  again  weni  below 
to  hunt  for  rope.  I  got  more  than  I  expected  from  different 
parts  of  the  vessel,  and  we  had  also  saved  some  of  the 
rigging,  which  had  been  entangled  in  the  bulwarks. 

"We  shall  want  every  scrap  of  rope  we  can  find!" 
cried  Jim,  panting  and  still  pumping  away. 

"  I'll  take  a  spell  with  you,"  I  said.  "  Then  we'll  turn 
to  and  rig  the  ship." 

I  pumped  till  I  could  pump  no  longer,  and  then,  after  a 
short  rest,  we  commenced  in  earnest.  We  first  lashed  a 
short  spar,  with  a  tackle  secured  to  its  head,  to  the  stump 
of  the  foremast,  and  then,  having  fitted  two  shrouds  on  a 
side,  with  a  forestay  and  backstays,  and  blocks  for  the 
halliards,  to  the  spar  we  had  chosen  for  a  foremast,  we 
swayed  it  up  my  means  of  the  short  spar  and  tackle.  We 
could  not  possibly  in  any  other  way  have  accomplished  our 
object.  We  next  lashed  the  spar  to  the  stump  of  the  mast. 
No  time  was  lost  in  setting  up  the  standing  rigging.  Our 
foremast  being  thus  fixed,  we  surveyed  it  with  infinite  satis- 
faction, and  then  turned  to  and  fitted  the  brig  with  a 
mainmast  in  the  same  fashion.  This  we  made  somewhat 
stronger,  as  we  intended  it  to  carry  a  mainsail  should  we  have 
to  haul  on  a  wind.  Our  work,  as  may  be  supposed,  was 
not  especially  neat — indeed,  we  had  to  knot  most  of  the 
shrouds,  as  it  was  necessary  to  keep  all  the  longer  lengths 
of  rope  for  halliards,  and  we  had  none  to  spare. 

I  cannot  stop  to  explain  how  we  accomplished  all  this ; 
we  could  not  have  done  it  without  employing  tackles,  which 
we  brought  to  the  windlass,  and  thus  gained  twenty  times 
as  much  power  as  we  by  ourselves  possessed. 


106  Peter  Trawl. 

We  were  now  pretty  well  tired  and  hungry,  for,  except 
some  bread  and  cheese  and  a  jug  of  cold  water,  we  had 
taken  nothing  all  day. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  awe  that  we  went  down  into  the 
cabin  where  the  old  captain  lay.  Jim,  however,  closed  the 
door  of  the  state-room,  so  that  we  could  not  see  him.  We 
then  lighted  the  fire  and  cooked  some  dinner — or  rather 
supper,  for  evening  was  drawing  on.  Anxious  to  be  again 
at  work,  we  hurried  over  the  meal. 

"  I  say,  Peter,  don't  you  think  we  ought  to  bury  the 
skipper?"  asked  Jim,  after  a  long  silence. 

"  Not  for  some  days  to  come,"  I  answered ;  "  I  hope  that 
we  may  get  into  port  first,  so  as  to  lay  him  in  a  grave  on 
shore." 

"  I  don't  think  it  will  make  much  odds  to  him ;  and,  to 
say  the  truth,  now  he's  dead,  I'd  rather  he  were  out  of  the 
ship,"  said  Jim ;  "  they  say  it's  unlucky  to  have  a  dead  man 
on  board." 

I  had  some  difficulty  in  persuading  Jim  of  the  folly  of 
such  a  notion,  but  we  finally  agreed  that  we  would  try  to 
carry  the  captain's  body  to  land. 

Before  bending  sails  we  took  a  look  down  forward  to  see 
the  condition  of  the  leaks.  The  handspikes  were  in  their 
places,  and,  except  a  slight  moisture  round  the  holes,  we 
could  not  discover  that  any  water  was  getting  in.  Still  there 
was  a  great  deal  too  much  in  the  brig  for  safety,  so  we  took 
another  spell  at  the  pumps  before  going  on  with  the  rigging. 

Darkness  found  us  hard  at  work.  We  were  too  tired  and 
sleepy  to  attempt  keeping  a  look-out,  but  I  bethought  me  of 
hoisting  a  lantern  at  each  masthead,  which  would  save  us 
from  being  run  down  should  a  breeze  spring  up  during  the 
night.  Jim  thought  the  idea  capital,  and  promised  to  get 
up  and  trim  the  lamps. 

Fortunately,  the  nights  were  short,  so  that  there  was  not 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  107 

much  necessity  for  that.  Our  chief  wish  now  was  that  the 
calm  would  continue  for  a  few  hours  during  the  next  day, 
that  we  might  get  the  brig  to  rights. 

"  One  spell  more  at  the  pumps  ! "  cried  Jim. 

We  seized  the  brakes,  worked   till  we  could  work  no 
longer,  then  went  below,  ate  some  food  from  the  pantry,    • 
and  lying  down  in  the  two  larboard  berths  in  the  cabin,  • 
were  fast  asleep  in  a  few  seconds. 

People  talk  of  sleeping  like  tops.  A  hard-worked  ship- 
boy  will  beat  any  top  in  the  world  at  sleeping  soundly. 

For  a  second  night  the  brig  lay  becalmed.  I  doubt  that 
if  even  a  fierce  gale  had  sprung  up  it  would  have  awakened 
us.  The  sun  was  shining  when  I  opened  my  eyes.  It 
might  have  been  shining  for  hours  for  what  I  could  tell. 

I  roused  up  Jim,  and  we  sprang  on  deck,  vexed  at  having, 
as  we  supposed,  lost  so  much  precious  time.  By  the  height 
of  the  sun  above  the  horizon,  however,  we  judged  that  it 
was  not  so  late  as  we  had  at  first  fancied.  The  clock  in  the 
cabin  had  been  unshipped  when  the  brig  went  over,  and 
the  captain's  watch  had  stopped,  so  that  we  had  otherwise 
no  means  of  knowing  how  the  hours  passed  by.  It  was  still 
perfectly  calm.  We  looked  round  in  all  directions.  Not  a 
sail  was  in  sight. 

"We  must  get  ready  for  the  breeze,  Jim,  when  it  does 
spring  up,"  I  said.     •'  It  will  come  before  many  hours  are  . 
over,  I've  a  notion." 

I  had  observed  some  light  clouds  just  under  the  sun. 

"  May  be ;  but  we  must  take  a  spell  at  the  pumps  first," 
he  answered — his  first  thought  was  always  of  them. 

We  turned  to  as  before,  till  our  arms  ached,  and  then  we 
ran  down  and  got  some  breakfast.  We  knew  the  value  ol 
time,  but  we  couldn't  get  on  without  eating,  any  more  than 
other  people. 

On  returning  to  the  deck  we  lowered  the  lanterns,  which 


io8  Peter  Trawl. 

had  long  since  gone  out,  finished  bending  the  sails,  fitting 
braces,  tacks,  sheets,  and  bowiines,  and  were  then  ready 
to  hoist  away.  We  at  once  set  all  the  sails  we  had  ready, 
to  see  how  they  stood.  To  our  satisfaction,  they  appeared 
to  greater  advantage  than  we  had  expected. 

"They'll  do!""  cried  Jim,  as  we  surveyed  them;  "only 
let  us  get  a  breeze  from  the  right  quarter,  and  we'll  soon 
make  the  land." 

Fortunately,  the  rudder  had  been  uninjured  when  the 
brig  went  over,  and  the  wheel  was  in  order.  I  stood  at  the 
helm,  longing  for  the  time  when  I  should  see  the  brig 
moving  through  the  water.  I  may  say,  once  for  all,  that  at 
very  frequent  intervals  Jim  and  I  went  to  the  pumps,  but 
he  stood  longer  at  the  work  than  I  did.  There  was  urgent 
necessity  for  our  doing  so,  as,  notwithstanding  all  our 
exertions,  we  had  but  slightly  diminished  the  water  in  the 
hold. 

When  not  thus  occupied  we  did  various  things  that  were 
necessary  about  the  brig;  among  others  we  got  life-lines 
round  the  shattered  bulwarks,  so  that  should  a  heavy  sea 
get  up,  we  might  run  less  risk  of  being  washed  overboard. 
We  also  went  to  the  store-room,  and  brought  to  the  cabin 
various  descriptions  of  provisions,  that  we  might  have  them 
at  hand  when  wanted.  We  knew  that  when  once  we  got 
a  wind  we  should  have  no  time  to  do  anything  besides 
navigating  the  vessel. 

I  had  gone  below  to  get  dinner  ready,  the  only  hot  meal 
we  took  in  the  day,  leaving  Jim  pumping,  when  I  heard  him 
sing  out  down  the  companion-hatchway, 

"  Here  it  comes,  and  a  rattling  breeze,  too." 

I  sprang  on  deck  and  went  to  the  helm,  while  Jim  stood 
ready  to  trim  sails.  Looking  astern  I  could  see  a  line  of 
white  foam  sweeping  along  towards  us  over  the  surface  of 
the  ocean.  Before  it  was  up  to  us  the  sails  bulged  out,  the 


Alone  on  the  Ocean.  109 

brig  gathered  way,  and  presently  she  was  gliding  at  the  rate 
of  three  or  four  knots  through  the  water. 

Jim  and  I  shouted  with  exultation — we  forgot  the  past — 
we  thought  not  of  the  future.  We  believed  that  we  were 
about  to  reap  the  fruit  of  our  labours. 

For  several  hours  we  ran  on  with  the  wind  right  aft, 
steering  due  west.  I  steered  for  most  of  the  time,  but  Jim 
occasionally  relieved  me.  So  eager  were  we  that  we  forgot 
all  about  eating,  till  he  cried  out, 

"  I  must  have  some  food,  Peter,  or  I  shall  drop." 

I  was  running  below  to  get  it,  feeling  just  as  hungry  as 
he  did,  when  the  wind  hauled  more  to  the  southward.  We 
took  a  pull  at  the  starboard  braces,  and  I  then  hurried 
below  to  bring  up  what  we  wanted.  Just  as  I  was  cutting 
some  meat  which  had  been  boiling  till  the  fire  went  out,  I 
heard  a  crash.  I  sprang  up  on  deck.  The  brig  was  again 
dismasted,  and  Jim  was  struggling  in, the  waves  astern. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DANGERS  MULTIPLY. 

FOR  a  moment  I  could  not  believe  my  senses.  I  felt 
like  a  person  in  a  dreadful  dream.  What,  Jim  gone ! 
The  brig  again  dismasted,  and  I  left  alone  on  board  her 
with  the  body  of  our  dead  captain  !  I  was  recalled  to  myself 
by  hearing  a  faint  shout,  and  looking  over  the  stern  I  saw 
my  old  friend  struggling  amidst  the  waves  some  distance  off. 

My  first  impulse  was  to  leap  into  the  sea  and  swim  to  his 
rescue,  but  then  the  thought  happily  came  to  me  that  if  I  did 
we  should  be  unable  to  regain  the  vessel ;  so,  instead,  crying 
out,  "  Keep  up,  Jim — keep  up,  I'll  help  you  ! "  I  did  what 
was  far  more  likely  to  prove  effectual — I  unrove  the  peak- 
halliards,  cutting  them  clear  with  my  knife,  and  fastened  one 
end  to  the  wooden  grating  over  the  cabin  sky-light.  This 
I  threw  overboard,  and  as  I  feared  that  the  halliards  would 
not  prove  long  enough,  I  bent  on  another  rope  to  them. 
The  grating  appeared  to  be  dropping  astern  very  fast ;  and 
yet  Jim,  who  was  swimming  strongly,  seemed  to  be  nearing 
it  very  slowly,  by  which  I  knew  that  the  brig  must  still, 
urged  on  by  the  impetus  she  had  before  received,  be  moving 
through  the  water.  Securing  the  line,  I  therefore  put  down 
the  helm,  and  completely  stopped  her  way.  All  was  done 
faster  than  I  have  described  it. 

Springing  back  to  the  tafferel,  with  straining  eyes  I  watched 
Jim,  for  more  I  could  not  do  to  help  him,  except  to  give  an 


Dangers  Multiply.  in 

occasional  shout  to  cheer  him  up.  The  dreadful  thought 
came  that  there  might  be  sharks  about,  or  that  his  strength 
might  fail  him  before  he  could  reach  the  grating.  I  did 
more  than  cheer,  though — I  prayed  to  God  with  all  my  soul 
that  Jim  might  be  saved.  Often  he  seemed  scarcely  to  be 
moving  through  the  water — now  he  threw  himself  on  his 
back  to  rest — then  he  once  more  struck  bravely  out,  reply- 
ing as  he  did  so  to  my  cheer.  At  length  he  got  near  the 
grating.  My  heart  gave  a  bound  of  joy  as  I  saw  him  seize 
it,  when  he  gradually  drew  himself  up  and  lay  flat  on  its 
surface,  the  best  way  for  making  it  afford  him  support 

With  a  shout  to  Jim  to  hold  on,  I  began  to  haul  in  the 
raft  till  I  brought  it  under  the  quarter. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  Jim,  while  I  get  a  tackle  ready  to  haul 
you  on  board,"  I  cried  out 

This  did  not  take  me  the  time  I  said,  and  forming  a 
bowline  I  lowered  it  to  him.  He  seemed  so  exhausted  that 
I  was  afraid  lest  in  trying  to  pass  it  over  his  shoulders  he 
might  slide  off  the  grating ;  and  I  was  about  to  go  down 
to  assist  him,  when,  seeing  the  rope,  he  slipped  his  arms 
through  it  and  exclaimed,  "  Haul  away,  Peter." 

I  was  not  long  in  obeying  him,  it  may  be  supposed,  and 
I  almost  cried  with  joy  as  I  had  him  at  length  safe  on  deck. 
I  knew  that  the  first  thing  now  to  be  done  was  to  get  off  his 
wet  clothes,  and  to  give  him  a  restorative,  but  I  had  a  hard 
job  to  carry  him  below,  as  he  could  not  help  himself. 

"  Never  mind,  Peter,"  he  said,  faintly  ;  "  I  shall  soon  be 
all  to  rights  again."  But  I  was  not  going  to  leave  him  in 
the  cold  air  on  deck,  so  going  first,  I  let  him  slip  gradually 
down  the  companion-ladder,  and  then  stripping  off  his 
clothes,  in  a  short  time  had  him  snug  between  the  blankets. 
I  then  quickly  relighted  the  fire  and  warmed  up  the  broth  I 
had  before  cooked,  while  I  hung  up  Jim's  clothes  to  dry. 

The  hot  broth  seemed  greatly  to  restore  him,  but  as  he 


H2  Peter  Trawl. 

was  pretty  well  worn  out  before  he  had  gone  overboard,  it 
is  no  wonder  that  as  soon  as  the  basin  was  emptied  he  fell 
fast  asleep.  I  had  not  stopped  to  ask  him  how  the  accident 
had  occurred,  but  I  suspected,  as  I  afterwards  found  was 
the  case,  that  as  the  masts  fell  a  rope  had  somehow  or 
other  caught  his  legs  and  whisked  him  overboard.  He  was, 
however,  never  very  clear  how  it  happened. 

Having  performed  my  duties  below,  and  taken  some  food, 
which  I  greatly  needed,  I  went  on  deck.  It  was  still  blowing 
fresh,  but  there  was  not  much  sea  on,  and  the  brig  lay 
like  a  log  on  the  water.  To  my  great  relief  I  found  that 
none  of  the  spars  or  sails  had  been  lost,  all  of  them  having 
fallen  inboard,  so  I  set  to  work  to  secure  them  as  well  as  I 
could,  knowing  that  till  Jim  was  strong  enough  to  help  me 
I  could  do  nothing  towards  getting  up  the  masts  again. 

I  did  not  for  a  moment  contemplate  giving  up  the 
struggle.  I  next  went  down  into  the  forepeak  to  see  if  our 
arrangements  for  keeping  out  the  water  were  secure.  Nothing 
had  moved.  Still,  as  I  knew  that  the  water  must  be  coming 
in  and  might  gain  upon  us  dangerously,  I  took  a  spell  at 
pumping.  This  pretty  well  exhausted  all  my  remaining 
trength,  yet  before  turning  in  to  get  some  rest  there  was 
another  thing  to  be  done.  We  might  be  in  the  track  of 
some  vessel  or  other,  and  should  the  night  prove  dark  might 
be  run  down  and  sent  to  the  bottom  while  we  were  asleep.  I 
therefore  trimmed  the  lamp  in  one  of  the  lanterns,  and  with 
great  labour  having  lashed  a  spar  to  the  stump  of  the  fore- 
mast, hoisted  the  lantern  to  the  top  of  it.  This  done  I  could 
do  no  more,  and  crawling  into  my  cabin  was  soon  fast  asleep 
in  my  berth. 

I  slept  tranquilly,  knowing  that  He  who  had  hitherto 
preserved  us  was  watching  over  us  still.  I  was  awakened  by 
the  clanking  sound  of  the  pump.  It  was  broad  daylight ; 
Jim  was  not  in  his  berth,  and  on  springing  on  deck  there  I 


Dangers  Multiply.  113 

saw  him  in  his  shirt  and  trowsers  hard  at  work,  forcing  up 
the  water  at  a  great  rate. 

"I'm  ail  to  rights,  Peter,"  he  said,  in  a  cheerful  tone, 
"  and  as  I  guessed  that  you  had  been  up  long  after  I  went 
to  sleep,  I  thought  as  how  I  would  take  a  spell  at  the  pump 
before  rousing  you  up." 

Thanking  him  for  his  thoughtfulness,  I  seized  the  other 
brake  and  pumped  till  my  arms  ached. 

"  Now,  Peter,  we  must  see  about  getting  up  the  masts 
again,"  he  said,  when  he  saw  me  knock  off. 

"You  want  some  breakfast  first,  and  so  do  I,"  I  answered. 
"  We'll  then  set  to  work  with  a  will." 

We  took  some  food,  which  rested  and  refreshed  us,  and 
then  commenced  the  task  we  had  undertaken. 

The  wind  had  again  fallen.  What  there  was  of  it  was 
fair,  and  the  sea  was  almost  as  smooth  as  a  millpond.  Had 
it  been  rough  we  could  scarcely  have  attempted  the  work. 
We  had  first  to  unreeve  all  the  ropes,  and  unbend  all  the 
sails.  We  then  selected  two  much  stouter  spars  than 
before  for  fresh  masts,  got  the  standing  rigging  over  their 
heads,  and  by  means  of  tackles  got  them  set  up  to  the 
stumps  of  the  fore  and  main  masts,  next  securing  them 
much  more  effectually  we  hoped  than  the  former  jury-masts 
had  been,  with  light  spars  of  different  lengths  lashed  round 
them,  and  additional  backstays. 

We  made  such  good  progress  that  by  night  we  were 
almost  ready  to  hoist  the  sails,  having  all  the  time  rested 
only  for  a  few  minutes  to  obtain  some  food  and  then  going 
on  again. 

Nature,  however,  at  last  gave  way,  and  if  we  stopped  for 
a  moment  we  went  fast  asleep  with  a  rope  or  marlinespike  in 
our  hands. 

"  It's  no  use  trying  to  keep  awake,  Jim,"  I  said. 

He  in  a  sleepy  voice,  agreed,  and  having  again  hoisted 

8 


H4  Peter  Trawl. 

the  lantern  we  went  below  to  get  the  rest  we  so  much 
needed. 

The  next  morning  I  heard  as  before  the  pump  going. 
It  was  still  dark,  but  Jim  had  awoke,  and  this  was  always 
his  first  thought.  I  joined  him,  and  we  laboured  on  till 
there  was  light  enough  to  enable  us  to  bend  sails.  The 
wind  being  fair  we  soon  had  them  hoisted,  and  I  went  to 
the  helm,  Jim  pulling  and  hauling  to  trim  them  as  required. 

It  must  be  understood  that  everything  was  done  in  a 
rough-and-ready  fashion,  but  it  was  the  best  we  could  do. 

Once  more  the  brig  glided  on  towards  the  west  at  the 
rate,  as  we  supposed,  of  three  or  four  knots  an  hour.  Jim, 
having  done  all  that  was  required,  took  my  place  at  the 
helm  while  I  went  below  to  get  some  food  for  breakfast. 
As  I  was  unwilling  to  be  off  the  deck  a  moment  longer  than 
was  necessary,  without  stopping  to  light  the  fire  I  brought 
up  a  supply  of  provisions  and  water  to  last  us  for  some 
time,  as  also  some  cloaks  and  blankets.  We  agreed  that 
we  must  content  ourselves  with  cold  water,  and  ham,  and 
cheese,  and  bread,  and  be  thankful,  remembering  how 
many  poor  fellows  had  been  much  worse  off  than  we  were. 

We  ate  a  hearty  meal,  I  feeding  Jim  while  he  steered. 
He  did  not  appear  to  have  suffered  from  his  long  swim, 
except  that  he  complained  of  being  very  sleepy.  I  there- 
fore advised  him  to  lie  down  on  the  coats  and  blankets  I 
had  brought  on  deck  to  get  some  rest,  while  I  took  his 
place  at  the  helm,  promising  to  call  him  should  the  breeze 
freshen  and  it  become  necessary  to  shorten  sail.  He  agreed 
and  I  steered  on,  now  looking  at  the  compass,  now  at  the 
canvas,  and  now  all  around  on  the  chance  of  a  vessel 
appearing  from  which  we  might  learn  our  position.  I  own 
that  I  should  have  been  very  unwilling  for  any  one  to  have 
come  on  board  to  take  the  brig  into  harbour,  for  we  both 
thought  how  proud  we  should  feel  if  we  could  carry  her  in 


Dangers  Multiply.  115 

ourselves  without  help.  Still,  for  the  sake  of  the  owners  we 
could  not,  we  had  agreed,  refuse  assistance  should  it  be 
offered  us.  At  last  my  eyes  began  to  close,  and  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  keep  them  open,  or  pre- 
vent myself  from  sinking  down  on  the  deck.  I  was,  there- 
fore, very  thankful  when  I  saw  Jim  begin  to  move.  I 
uttered  his  name.  He  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant. 

"  I'll  take  a  spell  at  the  pump  first,"  he  said,  rubbing  his 
eyes  and  looking  round,  especially  ahead ;  "  then  I'll  come 
to  the  helm." 

Talking  to  him  aroused  me  a  little,  and  I  was  able  to 
hold  on  till  he  relieved  me.  I  was  almost  asleep  before  I 
sank  down  on  the  blanket,  only  just  hearing  him  say,  "  We 
must  keep  a  bright  look-out  ahead,  for  we  ought  soon  to  be 
making  the  land." 

That  sleep  did  me  a  great  deal  of  good.  We  agreed  that 
we  would  both  take  as  much  as  we  could  during  the  day, 
that  we  might  be  more  wide-awake  at  night.  I  had  observed 
that  there  was  something  on  Jim's  mind,  and  while  we  were 
at  supper,  soon  after  sunset,  I  asked  him  what  it  was. 

;<  Why,  you  see,  as  I  said  afore,  I  wish  that  our  old 
skipper  was,  somehow  or  other,  out  of  the  ship.  Now  if 
you  are  willing,  Peter,  I'll  sew  him  up  all  comfortable  like 
in  an  old  sail,  with  a  pig  of  iron  at  the  feet ;  and  as  you  are 
a  better  scholar  than  I  am,  you  can  say  the  prayers  over 
him  while  we  lower  him  overboard,  and  to  my  mind  he'll 
be  just  as  well  off  as  he  would  be  ashore." 

I  reminded  Jim  that  he  had  before  consented  to  our 
keeping  the  body  as  long  as  we  could,  but  knowing  that  his 
superstitious  ideas  induced  him  to  make  the  proposal,  and 
that  he  was  really  uncomfortable,  I  agreed  to  bury  our 
skipper  at  the  end  of  three  days  if  we  did  not  by  that  time 
sight  the  land. 

The  night  and  another  d?y  went  by,  the  wind  still  holding 


1 1 6  Peter  Trawl. 

fair.  I  pointed  out  to  Jim  how  thankful  we  should  be  for 
this,  as  1  was  certain  that  in  the  latitude  where  we  were 
there  was  seldom  so  long  a  continuance  of  fine  weather. 
He,  however,  was  far  from  easy  in  his  mind.  He  was  sure, 
he  said,  that  we  ought  to  have  seen  the  land  before  this, 
and  was  continually,  when  not  working  the  pump,  going 
forward  to  look  out  for  it. 

"  I  knows  that  England  is  an  island,  as  the  song  says, 
'Our  right  little,  tight  little  island;'  and  don't  you  think 
that  somehow  we  may  have  passed  to  the  nor'ard  of  it,  and 
be  going  away  into  the  Atlantic  ?  " 

"  I  hope  not,"  I  answered ;  c<  for  if  so  we  shall  not  get 
into  port  till  we  have  run  right  across  it;  but  I  am  sure  the 
captain  never  intended  us  to  do  that  when  he  told  us  to 
steer  west ;  I  think  rather  that  we  have  not  been  going  as 
fast  as  we  supposed.  I'll  heave  the  log  and  try,  though  it 
will  be  a  difficult  job  to  do  so." 

I  got  out  the  reel  and  glass.  The  latter  I  gave  to  Jim  to 
hold  with  one  hand,  while  he  steered  with  the  other.  The 
handle  of  the  reel  I  managed  to  put  into  a  hole  in  the 
shattered  bulwarks,  so  that  it  could  run  round  easily.  I 
then  took  the  log-ship  in  my  right  hand  and  hove  it. 

"  Turn  !  "  I  cried. 

"  Turn  ! "  said  Jim. 

The  line  ran  slowly  out. 

"  Stop  !  "  cried  Jim. 

I  examined  the  line. 

"  Two  knots  and  a  half  was  all  it  showed.  Jim  thought 
we  were  going  four.  I  was  thus  certain  that  we  had  run  a 
much  shorter  distance  than  he  supposed,  but  he  was  not 
convinced  that  I  was  right. 

Day  and  night,  between  the  intervals  of  pumping,  he 
went  forward  to  look  out.  Another  day  went  by.  It  was 
again  night.  Jim  had  been  a  long  time  pumping  when 


Dangers  Multiply.  1 17 

he  said  that  he  would  go  forward  and  look  out  till  it  was  his 
turn  to  take  the  helm.  I  advised  him  rather  to  lie  down, 
as  I  was  sure  that  he  must  be  tired,  but  he  would  not,  and 
away  he  went  into  the  darkness  towards  the  bows. 

I  every  now  and  then  hailed  him  and  he  answered.  I 
had  not  hailed  for  some  time  when  I  felt  the  breeze  freshen. 
The  maintopsail  and  mainsail  bulged  out,  straining  at  the 
sheets,  and  the  masts  began  to  complain. 

"  Jim  !  Jim ! "  I  shouted,  "  shorten  sail,  be  smart  about 
it." 

But  Jim  did  not  answer.  I  dared  not  leave  the  helm  lest 
the  brig  should  broach  to  and  our  masts  again  be  carried 
overboard. 

Once  more  I  shouted,  "  Jim !  Jim  ! "  Still  he  did  not 
come,  and  the  dreadful  idea  arose  in  my  mind  that  he  had 
fallen  overboard. 

At  last  I  could  withstand  the  desire  no  longer  of  rushing 
forward  to  ascertain  what  had  become  of  him.  What 
mattered  it,  if  he  were  lost,  what  else  might  happen  ?  I 
made  a  dash  forward,  keeping  my  eye  on  the  stars.  I  had 
got  as  far  as  the  mainmast  when  I  saw  that  the  brig's  head 
was  moving  round,  so  I  sprang  back  to  right  the  helm. 

Again  and  again  I  shrieked  out  my  companion's  name 
at  the  top  of  my  voice,  springing  forward,  but  had  only  got 
a  little  farther  than  before  when  I  had  to  return. 

The  wind  continued  to  get  up.  The  masts  would  go,  I 
saw,  if  sail  were  not  shortened.  I  let  go  the  main-topsail, 
and  throat  and  peak  halliards.  The  sails  flapped  loudly  in 
the  wind,  but  as  the  brig  now  kept  more  steadily  before  it, 
I  thought  that  I  should  be  able  to  reach  the  forecastle, 
though  I  had  very  little  hope  of  finding  Jim. 

I  was  still  shouting  his  name,  when  what  was  my  joy  to 
hear  him  cry  out,  "  Hillo  !  what's  the  matter?"  and  I  saw 
his  head  rise  from  just  before  the  windlass.  I  never  in  my 


1 1 8  Peter  Trawl. 

life  felt  more  inclined  to  abuse  him  for  the  fright  he  had 
given  me,  thankful  as  I  was  that  no  harm  had  happened  to 
him.  I  did  not  even  tell  him  how  much  I  had  been 
alarmed,  but  merely  cried  out,  "  Come,  be  smart,  Jim,  we 
must  stow  the  canvas."  We  were  beginning  to  do  so,  when 
the  wind  fell,  and  instead  we  again  hoisted  the  fore-topsail. 
Jim  owned  that  while  he  fancied  he  was  looking  out  his 
legs  gave  way  and  that  he  had  sunk  down  on  the  deck. 

"  Take  care  that  the  same  doesn't  happen  when  you  are 
steering,  or  worse  consequences  may  follow,"  I  remarked. 

He  now  let  me  take  my  nap,  and  when  I  awoke  he  said 
that  we  had  had  a  famous  run ;  but  towards  noon  the  wind 
dropped,  and  it  became  towards  evening  a  stark  calm. 
This  lasted  all  night  and  far  into  the  next  day. 

"  Peter,  do  you  know  if  there's  a  prayer-book  aboard  ?  " 
asked  Jim. 

The  question  surprised  me.  I  was  nearly  certain  that 
there  was  not. 

"Well  then,  you  can  say  some  prayers  without  one,"  he 
continued.  "  For,  Peter,  there's  no  use  talking  longer  about 
it ;  we  must  bury  the  skipper." 

Reluctantly  I  agreed.  Jim  got  a  piece  of  canvas,  a  sail- 
maker's  needle,  and  some  twine,  with  a  pig  of  iron  ballast 
which  had  been  used  in  one  of  the  boats.  As  there  was  no 
sign  of  a  breeze,  with  these  he  went  below,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  his  death  opened  the  captain's  state-room.  We 
brought  the  corpse  into  the  main  cabin,  and  placing  it  on 
the  canvas,  without  loss  of  time  Jim  began  sewing  it  up. 
The  old  man's  kind  face  had  scarcely  changed.  We  took 
one  respectful  last  look  at  it,  and  then  Jim,  drawing  the 
canvas  over  it,  shut  it  out  from  sight. 

We  had  now  to  get  the  body  on  deck,  but  without  a 
tackle  this  we  could  not  have  done.  At  last  we  managed 
to  haul  it  up  the  companion-ladder.  When  Jim  went  below 


Dangers  Multiply. 

for  more  canvas  and  twine  to  fasten  on  the  pig  of  iron  to 
the  feet,  we  had  been  longer  about  our  task  than  we  had 
supposed.  Looking  astern,  I  saw  that  the  sky  was  darkened 
by  heavy  masses  of  clouds,  while  a  line  of  foam  came  hissing 
over  the  surface  of  the  deep  towards  us. 

"Quick  !  quick  !  Jim,"  I  shouted  ;  "shorten  sail,  or  the 
masts  will  be  over  the  side  ! " 

I  ran  as  I  spoke  to  the  halliards ;  he  followed ;  we  had 
to  be  smart  about  it,  and  even  thus  the  gale  was  on  us  before 
we  could  get  the  canvas  stowed.  That  was  not  to  be  done 
in  a  hurry.  First  one  sail  got  loose,  then  another,  and  we 
had  to  hurry  to  secure  them.  The  sea  rose  with  unusual 
suddenness,  and  the  brig  was  soon  tossing  about  in  a  way 
which  made  us  fear  that  another  leak  would  be  sprung,  or 
the  old  ones  break  out.  We  managed  at  length  to  set  the 
fore-topsail,  closely  reefed,  and  I  going  to  the  helm,  we  ran 
before  the  gale. 

If  Jim  was  before  anxious  about  our  being  near  the  land, 
he  was  more  so  now.  His  eyes  were  nearly  always  turned 
ahead,  but  I  began  to  think  more  about  the  leaks.  I  asked 
him  what  he  thought. 

"  We'll  try  the  well,"  he  answered. 

No  sooner  had  he  examined  the  rod  than  he  exclaimed, 

"  We  must  turn  to  at  the  pumps,  Peter,  if  we  don't  want 
to  go  to  the  bottom." 

We  no  longer  thought  of  burying  the  captain,  or  doing 
anything  but  keeping  the  brig  afloat.  The  night  began ;  Jim 
worked  away  as  hard  as  his  failing  strength  would  allow.  I 
shouted  to  him  to  let  me  take  a  spell. 

"  No,  no ;  you  keep  at  the  helm,  Peter,"  he  answered ; 
"  I'll  work  till  I  drop." 

He  only  stopped  now  and  then  to  take  a  look-out  ahead. 

The  gale  seemed  to  be  increasing ;  the  brig  pitched  and 
rolled  more  and  more.  Suddenly  there  came  a  loud  clap. 


1 20  Peter   Trawl. 

The  foresail  had  given  way.  Jim  ran  forward,  and  lowered 
it  on  deck. 

As  I  could  no  longer  be  of  use  at  the  helm,  I  ran  to  his 
help,  and  we  tried  to  set  it  again,  but  all  our  efforts  were  in 
vain.  Every  moment,  too,  the  seas  now  raging  round  the 
vessel  threatened  to  break  on  board. 

"  Peter,  the  water  is  coming  in  as  fast  as  we  get  it  out, 
and  if  we  don't  keep  pumping  it  will  gain  upon  us,"  said 
Jim. 

For  fear  of  being  carried  away,  we  made  ourselves  fast  to 
some  stanchions  near  the  pumps,  so  that  we  could  reach 
the  brakes,  and  worked  away  till  we  were  both  ready  to 
drop.  Now  and  then  we  had  to  stop  to  draw  breath  and 
regain  our  strength.  The  hard  battered  brig  pitched  and 
rolled  and  tumbled,  the  seas  dancing  up  wildly  on  every 
side  of  her.  Again  we  had  stopped,  when  Jim  exclaimed, 
"  Hark  !  I  hear  the  breakers." 

I  listened.  The  dreaded  sound  reached  my  ears.  The 
brig  was  driving  rapidly  towards  them. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PORT  REACHED  IN  AN  UNEXPECTED  MANNER. 

THE  sound  of  the  breakers  grew  louder  and  louder. 
Every  instant  we  expected  to  find  the  brig  sent 
crashing  on  the  rocks,  and  to  have  the  furious  seas  breaking 
over  us. 

"  There's  no  use  pumping  any  longer,  Peter,"  said  Jim. 
"  We  must  cling  to  whatever  we  can  get  hold  of,  and  hope 
for  the  chance  of  being  hove  up  on  the  beach,  if  there  is 
one." 

"A  poor  chance  that,"  I  could  not  help  answering. 
"  Perhaps  the  brig  may  be  driven  in  between  some  rocks, 
and  will  hold  together  till  the  morning ;  if  not  we  must  be 
prepared  to  die." 

And  I  spoke  to  him  as  I  think  my  mother  would  have 
spoken  to  me.  Clinging  to  the  shattered  bulwarks,  we 
waited  for  the  dreadful  event  with  all  the  resignation  we 
could  muster.  Still  the  orasft  did  not  come,  though  the 
vessel  appeared  to  be  tossed  about  even  more  violently 
than  before. 

"Peter,  the  breakers  don't  sound  so  loud  as  they  did  just 
now,"  exclaimed  Jim,  after  some  time. 

"  Let's  look  at  the  compass,"  I  said,  casting  off  the  rope 
round  my  waist. 

"I'll  go  too,"  cried  Jim,  doing  the  same.  "What 
happens  to  you  shall  happen  to  both." 


122  Peter  Trawl. 

Together  we  made  our  way  to  the  binnacle,  in  which  the 
lamp  was  still  burning.  As  we  eagerly  examined  the 
compass  we  found  that  the  wind  had  shifted  to  the  south- 
west, and  if  there  was  land,  as  we  supposed,  to  the  westward, 
was  blowing  partly  off  shore.  We  must  have  drifted  past  a 
headland,  on  which  we  had  heard  the  seas  breaking.  Had 
the  foresail  stood  we  should  have  run  on  it,  and  we  had 
cause,  therefore,  to  be  thankful  that  it  had  given  way.  Now, 
however,  as  it  was  important  to  keep  off  the  land,  we 
attempted  to  secure  the  clew  and  tack,  and  hauling  together 
succeeded  in  again  hoisting  it.  I  then  ran  to  the  helm,  and 
found  that  I  could  steer  east  by  north  or  thereabouts. 
Though  the  brig  moved  very  slowly,  still  I  believed  that  we 
were  getting  away  from  the  dreaded  shore.  We  ran  on  for 
some  time,  when  once  more  the  wind  shifted  to  the  eastward 
of  south,  and  blew  with  greater  fury  than  before. 

"  It's  drawing  more  and  more  to  the  east,"  said  Jim,  look- 
ing at  the  compass. 

We  hauled  down  the  foresail,  as  it  would  only,  we  believed, 
drive  us  the  faster  to  destruction.  The  brig  tumbled  and 
rolled  and  pitched  about  in  a  way  that  made  it  difficult  for 
us  to  keep  our  feet,  and  every  now  and  .then  the  seas, 
washing  over  the  deck,  would  have  swept  us  off  had  we  not 
again  lashed  ourselves  to  the  stanchions  near  the  pumps. 
These  we  worked  as  vigorously  as  our  failing  strength  would 
allow.  We  had  resolved  not  to  give  in  while  the  brig 
remained  afloat.  How  we  longed  for  daylight,  that  we 
might  see  where  we  were,  and  judge  how  we  could  best  try 
to  save  ourselves  ! 

That  we  were  again  driving  towards  the  terrible  rocks  we 
knew  too  well,  and  several  times  Jim  stopped  pumping  to 
listen  for  the  sound  of  the  breakers.  At  length  he  ex- 
claimed, "  I  hear  them,  Peter !  In  less  than  ten  minutes 
the  brig  will  be  in  pieces !  Good-bye,  if  the  sea  gets  us ; 


Port  reached  m  an  Unexpected  Manner.    123 

but  we'll  have  a  fight  for  it ;  so  the  moment  she  strikes  we'll 
cast  ourselves  off  from  the  stanchions." 

We  were  shaking  hands  while  he  spoke.  I  was  not  quite 
certain  that  I  did  hear  the  breakers,  the  noises  on  board  the 
tumbling  vessel  making  it  difficult  to  distinguish  sounds. 
Shortly  after  this  there  came  a  lull,  but  we  thought  it  only 
the  prelude  to  another  squall. 

The  wind  fell  more  and  more. 

"  I  see  day  breaking  !  "  cried  Jim,  looking  eastward. 

Faint  yellow  and  red  streaks  were  visible  in  that  direction 
under  the  dark  mass  of  clouds.  The  light  increased,  and  to 
the  westward,  fringed  by  a  line  of  rugged  black  rocks,  a 
green  island  gradually  rose  before  our  tight.  There  were 
grassy  slopes,  and  cliffs,  and  high,  steep,  round-topped  hills, 
with  clear  streams  running  between  them,  forming  lakelets 
near  the  beach,  glittering  in  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  now 
bursting  through  the  dissolving  clouds.  Far  as  our  eyes 
could  reach  not  a  tree  was  visible,  nor  could  we  discover  a 
single  cottage  or  other  habitation  of  man.  As  the  light 
increased  we  found  that  we  were  about  half  a  mile  away 
from  the  entrance  of  a  narrow  gulf,  which  extended 
apparently  far  inland.  Not  a  boat  floated  on  the  surface 
of  the  gulf,  not  a  sail  was  to  be  seen  along  the  coast. 

"I'm  greatly  afeared  that  yonder  is  a  dissolute  island" 
(meaning  a  desolate  island),  "  and  if  no  help  comes  to  us 
from  the  shore  we  may  be  blown  out  to  sea,  and  be  worse 
off  than  before,"  said  Jim. 

•  The  wind  had  fallen  to  an  almost  perfect  calm,  but  what 
there  was  blew  out  of  the  gulf,  so  that  we  could  not  hope  to 
take  the  vessel  up  it,  while  the  breakers  still  burst  in  sheets 
of  foam  on  the  rocks,  and  we  lay  tossed  up  and  down  by 
the  glassy  rolling  seas.  We  were  utterly  helpless. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast  a  thought  occurred  to  me. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,  Jim,"  I  said  ;  "  we'll  build  a 


124  Peter  Trawl. 

raft,  put  the  poor  old  captain  on  it,  take  him  ashore,  and 
bury  him.  If  we  can  find  no  people  or  houses  we'll  go  off 
again.  The  brig  won't  dritt  far  away  in  the  meantime.  If 
the  wind  will  let  us  we'll  run  into  the  gulf,  or  if  it  shifts  to 
the  northward  we'll  steer  along  shore  to  the  south  and  look 
out  for  another  harbour.  From  what  the  captain  said  we 
may  be  sure  there  is  one  not  far  off  where  we  shall  find 
people  to  help  us." 

Jim  jumped  at  my  proposal. 

"  That's  it,  Peter ;  when  once  the  dead  man  is  out  of  the 
brig  things  will  go  better  with  us,"  he  answered. 

I  did  not  stop  to  argue  the  point,  but  turned  to  at  once 
.with  him  to  form  the  proposed  raft.  We  had  plenty  of  spars 
below,  so  that  our  undertaking  was  not  so  difficult  as  it 
would  have  been  had  we  not  had  a  good  supply.  We  first 
cut  them  into  lengths  with  a  saw  we  found  below,  and 
having  placed  them  side  by  side,  lashed  others  across  on 
the  top  of  them. 

Eager  as  we  were  to  finish  our  task,  we  had  more  than 
once  to  stop  and  rest,  for  we  were  both  very  weak,  and  I 
felt  a  sensation  of  weariness  I  had  not  ever  before  experi- 
enced. In  fact,  we  were  thoroughly  knocked  up  from  the 
hard  work  we  had  gone  through,  and  the  little  time  we  had 
had  for  rest. 

Having  completed  the  raft  and  formed  some  paddles,  we 
launched  it  overboard  and  secured  it  alongside. 

"  Now,  Jim,"  I  said,  "  we  must  take  some  provisions,  in 
case  there  are  no  people  on  the  island,  as  we  may  have  a 
longer  pull  back  than  we  may  like,  and  we  have  to  bring  up 
the  captain  and  put  him  on  the  raft." 

We  quickly  collected  some  provisions,  and  I  took  the 
empty  water-jar  from  the  pantry. 

"  What's  that  for  ?  "  asked  Jim.  "  There's  water  enough 
on  shore,  surely." 


Port  rtachtd  in  an  Unexpected  Manner.    125 

"  Yes,  but  if  we  have  a  long  pull  back  to  the  brig  we 
shall  be  thankful  for  water,"  I  answered. 

While  thus  employed  we  heard  a  voice  coming  from  no 
great  distance  hail  "  Ship  ahoy ! " 

My  heart  leapt  within  me  at  the  sound,  and  running  to 
the  side  we  saw  a  boat  with  five  men  in  her  pulling  towards 
us.  An  oldish  man  of  portly  figure,  who  looked  like  a  sea 
captain,  was  steering. 

"Are  ye  the  only  people  aboard?"  he  sang  out  as  he 
saw  us. 

"The  only  live  ones,  sir,"  answered  Jim. 

There  was  no  time  to  exchange  more  words  before  the 
boat  was  alongside,  and  the  old  gentleman  and  his  men 
stepped  on  board.  He  gave  a  look  of  surprise  as  he  saw 
the  captain's  body,  and  he  then,  turning  to  us,  appeared 
more  surprised  still. 

"  Why,  my  laddies,  what  has  happened  ?  How  did  this 
craft  come  here  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a  kind  tone. 

I  briefly  told  him  how  the  mists  had  been  carried  away 
and  the  people  washed  overboard,  and  how  the  captain  had 
been  struck  down  and  afterwards  had  died,  and  how  we  had 
kept  him  to  bury  him  decently  on  shore,  adding, 

"  He  told  us  to  steer  west,  sir,  and  so  we  did,  but  we  don't 
know  what  country  we've  come  to." 

"  Why,  surely,  to  Shetland,  laddies,"  he  answered.  "  But 
if  ye  had  kept  a  little  farther  to  the  north  ye  would  have 
passed  our  islands  and  run  into  the  Atlantic,  and  it's  weel 
for  ye  that  ye  did  na  do  that.  And  now  my  men  and  I  will 
take  your  craft  up  the  voe  and  anchor  her  in  safety.  We 
might  carry  her  to  Lervvick,  but  the  weather  is  unsettled, 
and  she's  na  weel  fitted  to  encounter  another  gale,  no  dis- 
credit to  ye,  laddies." 

Our  new  friend  evidently  compassionated  our  forlorn 
condition;  indeed,  now  that  the  nece-siry  for  exerting  our- 


126  Peter  Trawl. 

selves  was  over,  we  both  sank  down  utterly  exhausted  on  the 
deck. 

The  Shetlanders  would  have  carried  us  below,  but  we 
begged  to  remain  where  we  were,  that  we  might  see  what 
was  going  forward.  They  therefore  left  us,  and  having 
placed  the  captain's  body  on  the  main  hatch,  covered  by  a 
flag,  they  proceeded  to  pull  our  raft  to  pieces  and  to  hoist 
the  spars  composing  it  on  board.  This  done,  the  four  men 
jumped  into  the  boat,  and  going  ahead  began  to  tow  the 
brig,  while  the  old  gentleman  went  to  the  helm  to  steer. 

Before  long,  however,  a  breeze  from  the  eastward  springing 
up,  the  boat  returned  alongside,  the  men  hoisted  the  canvas, 
and  we  stood  in  towards  the  voe,  as  the  gulf,  we  found,  was 
called.  I  could  just  distinguish  the  high  green  hills,  with 
here  and  there  grey  cliffs  and  rocks  jutting  out  from  these 
on  either  side,  as  we  sailed  up  the  voe,  but  my  eyes  grew 
dimmer  and  dimmer  till  the  brig's  anchor  was  dropped,  and 
I  was  just  aware  that  we  were  being  placed  in  the  boat  to  be 
carried  on  shore. 

When  I  came  to  myself  I  found  that  I  was  in  a  comfort- 
able bed  with  curtains  round  it,  the  sun  shining  brightly 
through  the  open  window  of  the  room,  which  looked  neater 
and  prettier  than  any  I  had  ever  slept  in. 

Hearing  a  footstep,  I  peered  through  the  curtains,  and 
saw  a  lady  and  a  little  girl  come  in,  carrying  in  their  hands 
some  things  which  they  placed  on  the  table. 

"I  think  the  poor  boy  is  awake,  auntie,"  whispered  the 
little  girl.  "  I  heard  him  move." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  only  moving  in  his  sleep,  but  I  will  see," 
answered  the  lady,  and  she  approached  the  bed. 

I  was  looking  all  the  time  at  the  little  girl,  who  seemed 
to  me  like  an  angel  or  a  fairy,  or  some  being  altogether 
brighter  than  I  had  ever  seen  before — even  than  my  sister 
Mary. 


Port  reached  in  an  Unexpected  Manner.    127 

"Yes,  marm,  I  am  awake,  thank  you,"  I  said,  as  she 
opened  the  curtains,  "  and  please,  I  want  to  get  up  and  go 
aboard  the  brig  to  look  after  her  and  to  see  that  our  old 
captain  is  buried." 

"  He  was  buried  by  the  minister  the  day  you  came,  and 
the  brig  is  taken  very  good  care  of,"  she  answered.  "  My 
father,  Mr.  Angus  Troil,  has  written  to  the  owners  to  inform 
them  of  what  has  happened  to  her  and  of  your  brave 
conduct.  He  hopes  soon  to  hear  from  them." 

"  Thank  you,  marm,"  I  again  said,  puzzled  to  know  what 
the  lady  meant  about  hearing  soon  from  Mr.  Gray,  for  I  had 
supposed  that  Shetland  was  a  long  way  from  England.  My 
first  thought,  however,  had  been  about  Jim. 

"Please,  marm,  where  is  the  other  boy,  my  shipmate?" 
I  asked. 

"  He  was  very  ill  only  for  three  or  four  days,  and  is  now 
well  enough  to  go  down  to  the  brig  with  my  father,"  she 
replied.  "But  I  must  not  let  you  talk  too  much.  You 
were  to  have  some  food,  the  doctor  said,  when  you  came  to 
yourself.  Here,  Maggie,  bring  the  broth  and  toast." 

Thereon  the  little  girl  brought  the  tray  to  the  bedside  and 
gazed  compassionately  at  me,  while  the  lady  put  the  food 
into  my  mouth,  for  I  was  too  weak  to  do  so  myself. 

It  now  dawned  on  me  from  what  the  lady  said  that  I 
must  have  been  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness  for  many  days, 
and  such  I  found  was  the  case.  I  recollected  nothing  that 
had  passed  since  I  was  placed  in  the  boat.  I  could  not 
speak  much,  but  when  I  had  finished  the  basin  of  broth  I 
said, 

"I  am  very  thankful  to  you  and  your  little  daughter, 
marm,  for  all  you  have  done  for  me." 

"  You  deserve  to  be  taken  care  of,  my  boy,"  she 
answered ;  "  but  this  little  girl  is  not  my  daughter.  Her 
father  was  my  brother.  He  was  lost  at  sea  while  captain  of 


128  Peter  Trawl. 

a  ship,  and  her  mother  has  since  died,  so  that  she  is  very 
precious  to  us." 

I  looked  at  little  Maggie  with  even  more  interest  than 
before,  and  I  said, 

"  My  father  was  also  drowned,  and  so  was  my  grandfather, 
and  I  believe  his  father  before  him,  for  I  come  of  a  seafar- 
ing family." 

"  That  has  been  likewise  the  fate  of  many  of  the  Troils," 
said  the  lady;  "  but  I  must  not  let  you  talk  more  now. 
Before  long  my  father  and  your  young  shipmate  will  be 
returning,  and  they  will  be  glad  to  hear  from  your  own  lips 
how  you  feel.  In  the  meantime  try  to  go  to  sleep  again. 
The  doctor  says  that  the  more  you  sleep  the  sooner  you  will 
regain  your  strength.  Saying  this,  the  lady,  followed  by  the 
little  girl,  left  the  room. 

I  thought  over  what  she  had  said  to  me,  and  kept  repeat- 
ing to  myself,  "  Margaret  Troil !  Margaret  Troil !  I  know 
that  name,  I  am  sure  !  "  but  I  did  not  think  long  before  I 
forgot  where  I  was  and  what  had  happened. 

I  saw  Maggie's  sweet  face  peeping  in  at  me  when  I  woke, 
but  as  soon  as  she  saw  that  my  eyes  were  open  she  ran  off, 
and  shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Troil  and  Jim  came  into  the 
room.  The  old  gentleman  spoke  very  kindly ;  told  me  that 
I  must  consider  myself  at  home,  and  that  though  he  hoped 
I  should  soon  get  well,  I  must  be  in  no  hurry  to  go  away. 
He  then  went  out,  saying  to  Jim,  "  I  can  let  you  stay  only 
five  minutes  with  your  friend.  When  the  time  is  up  I  must 
call  you." 

Jim  could  at  first  scarcely  speak  for  joy  at  seeing  me  so 
much  better.  He  then  told  me  how  highly  Mr.  Troil  spoke 
of  me  and  him  for  the  way  we  had  kept  the  brig  afloat,  and 
brought  her  to  the  coast  of  Shetland. 

"  I  told  him  as  how  it  wasn't  us  who  did  it,"  continued 
Jim,  "  but  that  God  sent  the  wind  as  blew  us  here ;  and 


Port  reached  in  an  Unexpected  Manner.   129 

he  says  to  me,  '  To  be  sure,  that  was  the  case  in  one  way, 
but  then  that  God  rewarded  your  efforts,  and  thus  you 
deserve  great  credit  for  what  you  did.'  He  promises  to  see 
that  we  are  rewarded,  and  to  do  all  he  can  for  us  himself. 
I  told  him  as  how  you  were  really  captain,  and  that  I 
couldn't  have  done  anything  by  myself,  except  pump,  and 
that  I  had  done  with  a  will,  seeing  I  am  bigger  and  stronger 
than  you." 

I  was  inclined  to  smile  at  Jim's  modesty,  though  I  felt 
very  grateful  to  him  for  speaking  so  well  of  me,  and  was 
about  to  ask  him  what  Mr.  Troil  said  in  return,  when  our 
host  called  him  out  of  the  room.  I  was  thus  left  to  myself, 
except  when  the  lady,  who  Jim  had  told  me  was  Miss  Troil, 
the  old  gentleman's  daughter,  or  little  Maggie  looked  in  to 
see  if  I  wanted  anything.  Two  days  after  this  I  was  able  to 
dress  and  sit  out  in  front  of  the  house,  enjoying  the  sun 
and  air,  looking  down  on  the  voe  in  which  lay  our  brig,  with 
a  small  sloop  and  several  fishing  vessels  and  boats.  On  that 
side,  looking  to  the  south,  there  was  a  view  of  the  voe  and 
the  opposite  bank,  but  on  all  the  others  the  house,  a  square 
stone  building,  was  protected  by  a  high  wall  close  to  it,  built 
to  keep  off  the  biting  cold  winds  and  snow  of  winter.  Jim 
was  out  with  Mr.  Troil,  and  as  Miss  Troil  was  engaged, 
Maggie  came  and  sat  by  me  with  a  book,  and  read  and 
talked  to  me  for  a  long  time,  getting  me  to  tell  her  all  about 
myself  and  our  perilous  voyage,  till  her  aunt  summoned  her 
to  attend  to  some  household  affairs.  When  I  returned  to 
my  room  I  found  that  my  chest  had  been  brought  on  shore 
and  placed  there.  Miss  Troil  came  in  and  took  out  the 
things,  which,  having  become  damp  and  mildewy,  she 
wished  to  dry.  While  doing  so  she  came  upon  my  old 
Testament,  which,  chancing  to  open,  she  examined  the 
inside  of  the  cover  with  intense  curiosity. 

"  Why,  Peter,  how  did  you  come  by  this?  "  she  asked. 

9 


130  Peter  Trawl. 

The  family  had  got  by  this  time  to  call  me  Peter. 

I  told  her  that  it  had  belonged  to  my  father's  mother, 
and  then  for  the  first  time  since  I  came  to  Shetland  I 
recollected  that  the  name  in  it  was  spelt  in  the  same  way 
as  that  of  my  host 

"I  must  ask  my  father  about  this!"  she  exclaimed.  "He 
had  an  uncle  called  Angus,  after  whom  he  was  named,  and 
who  married  a  Margaret  Halcro.  There  are  none  of  the 
family  remaining  in  Shetland,  though  at  one  time  they  were 
numerous.  Peter,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  it  turns  out 
that  you  are  a  kinsman  of  ours.  Should  you  like  to  be 
so?" 

"  Indeed  I  should ! "  I  answered ;  "  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
one  already,  from  the  kind  way  you  have  treated  me,  even 
before  you  thought  I  might  be  a  relative." 

When  Mr.  Troil  came  in  he  listened  attentively  to  what 
his  daughter  told  him,  and,  having  examined  the  handwriting 
in  the  Testament,  asked  me  the  ages  of  my  father  and 
grandmother,  and  all  other  particulars  I  could  tell  him. 

"I  have  no  doubt  about  your  being  a  near  relative  of 
ours,  Peter,  and  I  rejoice  to  find  you  one,  my  dear  boy," 
he  said;  "though  why  my  aunt  Margaret  Troil  did  not  come 
back  to  her  husband's  relatives  after  her  husband's  death 
I  cannot  tell." 

"  Perhaps  she  had  not  the  means  to  make  the  journey,  or 
my  father  had  gone  away  to  sea,  and  she  was  afraid  that  he 
might  be  unable  to  find  her  on  his  return  if  she  left  her 
home ;  or,  now  I  think  of  it,  I  remember  my  father  saying 
that  she  died  soon  after  my  grandfather  was  lost,  when  he 
himself  was  a  little  chap." 

"  Well,  all  is  ordered  for  the  best,  though  we  don't  see 
how,"  said  Mr.  Troil.  "  And  now  you  have  come  you  must 
stay  with  us  and  turn  back  into  a  Shetlander.  What  do  you 
say  to  my  proposal  ?  " 


Port  reached  in  an  Unexpected  Manner.   131 

"  Oh,  do  stay  with  us,  Cousin  Peter ! "  exclaimed  Maggie, 
taking  my  hand  and  looking  up  in  my  face. 

"  Indeed,  I  should  like  very  much  to  do  so,"  I  answered, 
"but  there  is  my  sister  Mary,  and  I  cannot  desert  her,  even 
though  I  know  that  she  is  well  off  with  Mr.  Gray." 

"Then  Peter  must  go  and  fetch  her !"  exclaimed  Maggie. 
"  Oh,  I  should  so  like  to  have  her  here  !  I  would  love  her  as 
a  sister." 

"A  bright  idea  of  yours,  Maggie,"  said  Mr.  Troil.  "What 
do  you  say  to  it,  Peter?  I  will  furnish  you  with  ample  funds, 
and  you  can  be  back  here  in  a  month,  as  I  feel  very  sure  that 
your  friend  Mr.  Gray  will  willingly  allow  Mary  to  come." 

I  need  not  say  that  I  gladly  accepted  my  generous  re- 
lative's proposal,  and  it  was  arranged  that  as  soon  as  I  had 
quite  recovered  my  strength  I  should  go  south  in  the  first 
vessel  sailing  from  Lerwick,  accompanied  by  Jim,  who 
wanted  to  see  his  friends,  and  hoped  to  be  able  to  work 
his  passage  both  ways,  so  that  he  might  not  be  separated 
from  me. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  DISASTROUS  VOYAGE. 

I  WAS  soon  myself  again,  and  ready  for  the  proposed 
voyage  southward.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Troil  having 
received  directions  from  Mr.  Gray  to  send  the  Good  Intent 
to  Lerwick  to  be  refitted,  Tom  and  I,  bidding  farewell,  as 
we  hoped,  only  for  a  short  season  to  Miss  Troil  and  Maggie, 
went  on  board  the  brig  to  assist  in  carrying  her  there, 
intending  to  proceed  by  the  first  vessel  sailing  after  our 
arrival.  Mr.  Troil  sent  us  a  pilot  and  a  good  crew  to 
navigate  the  vessel,  and  accompanied  her  himself  in  his 
sloop,  that  he  might  assist  us  if  necessary. 

The  wind  was  fair  and  the  sea  smooth,  and  thus  without 
accident  we  arrived  in  that  fine  harbour  called  Brassa  Sound, 
on  the  shore  of  which  Lerwick,  the  capital  of  the  islands, 
stands.  We  there  found  a  vessel  shortly  to  sail  for  New- 
castle. Having  taken  in  a  cargo  of  coals,  she  was  thence  to 
proceed  to  Portsmouth.  This  so  exactly  suited  our  object 
that  Mr.  Troil  at  once  engaged  a  passage  on  board  her  for 
Jim  and  me. 

After  Portsmouth  the  town  appeared  small,  but  the 
inhabitants  have  large  warm  hearts,  and  were  very  kind  to 
Jim  and  me.  As  he  remarked,  it  is  better  to  have  large 
hearts  and  live  in  a  small  place  than  small  cold  hearts  and 
to  live  in  a  large  place.  They  seemed  never  to  tire  of 
asking  us  questions  about  our  voyage  in  the  Good  Intent, 


A  Disastrous    Voyage.  133 

and  how  we  two  boys  alone  managed  to  rig  jury-masts  and 
to  keep  her  afloat. 

"  By  just  knowing  how  to  do  our  work  and  sticking  to  it," 
answered  Jim,  to  one  of  our  friends. 

If  we  had  remained  much  longer  at  Lerwick  we  should 
ave  begun  to  fancy  ourselves  much  more  important  persons 
than  we  really  were ;  but  the  brig  Nancy,  Captain  Go  wan, 
was  ready  for  sea,  and  wishing  farewell  to  my  kind  relative, 
Mr.  Troil,  who  set  sail  in  his  ship  to  return  home,  we  went 
on  board.  We  soon  afterwards  got  under  way  with  a  fair 
breeze,  and  before  night  had  left  Sumburgh  Head,  the  lofty 
point  which  forms  the  southern  end  of  the  Shetland  Islands, 
far  astern. 

The  Nancy  was  a  very  different  sort  of  craft  from  the 
Good  Intent.  She  was  an  old  ill-found  vessel,  patched  up 
in  an  imperfect  manner,  and  scarcely  seaworthy.  Jim  and 
I  agreed  that  if  she  were  to  meet  with  the  bad  weather  we 
encountered  in  our  old  ship  she  would  go  to  the  bottom  or 
drive  ashore. 

We  discovered  also  before  long  that  Captain  Gowan  was 
a  very  different  person  from  our  former  captain.  He  had 
conducted  himself  pretty  well  on  shore,  so  that  people  spoke 
of  him  as  a  very  decent  man,  but  when  once  at  sea  he  threw 
off  all  restraint,  abused  the  crew,  quarrelled  with  the  mate, 
and  neglected  us,  who  had  been  placed  under  his  charge. 

Jim,  who  had  to  work  his  passage/  slept  in  the  fore-peak, 
but  I  was  berthed  aft.  I,  however,  did  as  much  duty  as 
anyone.  Jim  told  me  that  the  men  were  a  rough  lot,  and 
that  he  had  never  heard  worse  language  in  his  life.  They 
tried  to  bully  him,  but  as  he  was  strong  enough  to  hold  his 
o\vn,  and  never  lost  his  temper,  they  gave  up  the  attempt. 
Captain  Gowan  growled  when  I  came  in  to  dinner  the  first 
day,  which  I  knew  that  I  had  a  right  to  do,  and  he  asked 
if  every  ship-boy  was  to  be  turned  into  a  young  gentleman 


134  Peter  Trawl. 

because  he  happened  to  have  saved  his  life  while  others 
lost  theirs  ? 

I  did  not  answer  him,  for  I  saw  an  empty  bottle  on  the 
locker,  and  another  by  his  side  with  very  little  liquor  remain- 
ing in  it.  After  this  I  kept  out  of  his  way,  and  got  my  meals 
from  the  cook  as  best  I  could. 

Jim  and  I  agreed  that  if  the  Nancy  had  not  been  going 
direct  to  Portsmouth,  we  should  do  well  to  leave  her  at 
Newcastle,  and  try  to  make  our  way  south  on  board  some 
other  vessel  Although  we  went,  I  believe,  much  out  of  our 
proper  course,  we  at  last  entered  the  Tyne.  Soon  after  we 
brought  up,  several  curiously  shaped  boats,  called  kreels, 
came  alongside,  containing  eight  tubs,  each  holding  a  chal- 
dron ;  these  tubs  being  hoisted  on  board,  their  bottoms  were 
opened  and  the  coals  fell  into  the  hold. 

The  kreels,  which  were  oval  in  shape,  were  propelled  by 
a  long  oar  or  pole  on  each  side,  worked  by  a  man  who 
walked  along  the  gunwale  from  the  bow  to  the  stern,  pressing 
the  upper  end  with  his  shoulder  while  the  lower  touched  the 
ground.  Another  man  stood  in  the  stern  with  a  similar  long 
oar  to  steer. 

The  crews  were  fine  hardy  fellows,  known  as  kreelmen. 
I  was  astonished  to  hear  them  call  each  other  bullies,  till  I 
found  that  the  term  signified  "  brothers."  So  bully  Saunders 
meant  brother  Saunders. 

Jim  and  I  had  had  the  sense  to  put  on  our  working  clothes, 
which  was  fortunate,  as  before  long,  with  the  coal-dust  flying 
about,  we  were  as  black  as  negroes  ;  but  as  everything  and 
all  on  board  were  coloured  with  the  same  brush,  we  did  not 
mind  that. 

With  the  help  of  the  kreelmen  the  Nancy  was  soon  loaded, 
and  we  again  sailed  for  the  southward.  Matters  did  not 
improve.  The  captain,  having  abstained  from  liquor  while 
on  shore,  recompensed  himself  by  taking  a  double  allowance, 


A  Disastrous    Voyage  13^ 

and  became  proportionably  morose  and  ill-tempered,  never 
speaking  civilly  to  me,  and  often  passing  a  whole  day  with- 
out exchanging  a  word  with  his  poor  mate ;  and  when  he 
did  open  his  mouth  it  was  to  abuse.  The  brig,  though 
tolerably  tight  when  light,  now  that  she  had  a  full  cargo,  as 
soon  as  a  sea  got  up  began  to  leak  considerably,  so  that 
each  watch  had  to  pump  for  an  hour  to  keep  the  water 
under.  Jim  and  I  took  our  turns  without  being  ordered, 
but  though  accustomed  to  the  exercise,  it  was  hard  work. 
When  we  cried  "  Spell  ho  ! "  for  others  to  take  our  pi-ices, 
the  captain  shouted,  "You  began  to  piimp  for  your  own 
pleasure,  now  you  shall  go  on  for  mine,  you  young  rascals!" 
The  men,  however,  though  they  at  first  laughed,  having 
more  humanity  than  the  skipper,  soon  relieved  us. 

This  was  the  third  day  after  we  sailed,  when  the  wind 
shifting  to  the  south-west,  and  then  to  the  south,  we  stood 
away  to  the  eastward  in  order  to  double  the  North  Foreland. 
After  some  time  it  came  on  to  blow  harder  than  ever,  but 
the  brig  was  made  snug  in  time,  though  the  leaks  increased, 
and  all  hands  in  a  watch  were  kept,  spell  and  spell,  at  the 
pumps.  The  captain  behaved  just  as  before,  drinking  all 
day  long,  though  he  did  not  appear  to  lose  his  senses 
altogether.  The  mate,  however,  looked  very  anxious  as  the 
vessel  pitched  into  the  seas  each  time  more  violently  than 
before.  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  she  would  keep  afloat. 

"That's  more  than  I  can  promise  you,  my  boy,"  he 
answered.  "  If  the  wind  falls,  and  the  sea  goes  down,  we 
may  perhaps  manage  to  keep  the  leaks  under;  but  if  I  were 
the  captain  I  would  run  for  Harwich  or  the  Thames  sooner 
than  attempt  to  thrash  the  vessel  round  the  Foreland." 

"  Why  don't  you  propose  that  to  him,  and  if  he  does  not 
agree,  just  steer  as  you  think  best?"  I  said.  "I  suspect 
that  he  would  not  find  out  in  what  direction  we  were 
standing.' 


136  Peter  Trawl. 

"  Wouldn't  he,  though!  Why,  Peter,  I  tell  you  he  would 
swear  there  was  a  mutiny,  and  knock  me  overboard," 
answered  the  poor  mate  in  a  tone  of  alarm. 

He  was  evidently  completely  cowed  by  the  captain,  and 
dared  not  oppose  him.  The  night  was  just  coming  on ; 
the  seas  kept  breaking  over  the  bows,  washing  the  deck  fore 
and  aft,  and  the  clank  of  the  pumps  was  heard  without 
cessation.  The  captain  sat  in  his  cabin,  either  drinking  or 
sleeping,  except  when  occasionally  he  clambered  on  deck, 
took  a  look  around  while  holding  on  to  the  companion  hatch, 
and  then,  apparently  thinking  that  all  was  going  on  well, 
went  below  again.  When  I  could  pump  no  longer  I  turned 
in,  thinking  it  very  probable  that  I  should  never  see  another 
sunrise.  By  continually  pumping,  the  brig  was  kept  afloat 
during  the  night ;  but  when  I  came  on  deck  in  the  morning, 
the  mate,  who  looked  as  if  he  would  drop  from  fatigue,  told 
me  that  the  leaks  were  gaining  on  us.  We  were  now  far 
out,  I  knew,  in  the  German  Ocean,  and  if  the  brig  should 
go  down,  there  was  too  much  sea  running  to  give  us  a 
chance  of  saving  ourselves. 

Some  time  after  daylight  the  captain  came  on  deck,  and 
he  had  not  been  there  long  when  there  was  a  lull.  "  Hands 
about  ship  ! "  he  shouted. 

The  watch  below  tumbled  up,  and  the  brig  was  got 
round. 

"Will  you  take  charge,  sir?"  humbly  asked  the  mate. 
"  I  have  been  on  deck  all  night,  and  can  scarcely  stand." 

The  captain  raved  at  him  for  a  lazy  hound.  "  I  haven't 
turned  in,  either,"  he  said,  though  he  had  been  asleep  in  his 
chair  for  several  hours.  "  I  want  my  breakfast ;  when  I've 
had  that  I'll  relieve  you." 

The  mate  made  no  reply,  and  as  soon  as  the  captain  went 
below  he  hurried  forward  to  bid  the  cook  make  haste  with 
the  cabin  breakfast.  It  was  a  difficult  matter,  however,  to 


A  Disastrous    Voyage.  137 

keep  the  galley  fire  alight,  or  the  pots  on  it  in  their  places. 
The  weather  seemed  to  be  improving,  but  the  men  were 
well-nigh  worn  out  with  pumping.  When  the  captain  at 
last  came  on  deck,  in  spite  of  their  grumbling,  he  kept  them 
labouring  away  as  hard  as  ever,  and  ordered  Jim  and  me  to 
take  our  turn  with  the  rest.  This  we  did  willingly,  as  we 
knew  that  unless  all  exerted  themselves  the  brig  must 
founder. 

As  noon  approached,  the  captain  brought  up  his  quadrant, 
and  sent  below  to  summon  the  mate  to  take  observations, 
though  the  clouds  hung  so  densely  over  the  sky  that  there 
was  but  little  chance  of  doing  this. 

"  Might  as  well  try  to  shoot  the  sun  at  midnight  as 
now,  with  the  clouds  as  dark  as  pitch,"  growled  the 
mate.  "  What  was  the  use  of  calling  me  up  for  such  fool's 
work  ?  '' 

"  What's  that  you  say  ?  "  shouted  the  captain.  "  Do  you 
call  me  a  fool  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  do,  if  you  expect  to  take  an  observation  with 
such  a  sky  as  we  have  got  overhead,"  answered  the  mate. 

"Then  take  that !"  screamed  the  captain,  throwing  the 
quadrant  he  held  in  his  hand  at  the  mate's  head,  not,  for 
the  moment,  probably,  recollecting  what  it  was. 

It  struck  the  mate  on  the  temple,  who,  falling,  let  his  own 
quadrant  go,  and  both  were  broken  to  pieces. 

"  Here's  a  pretty  business,"  cried  one  of  the  men,  "  I 
wonder  now  what  will  become  of  us ! " 

Good  reason  we  had  to  wonder.  The  mate,  picking 
himself  up,  flew  at  the  captain,  and  a  fearful  struggle  ensued. 
Both  were  too  excited  to  know  what  they  were  about,  and 
the  captain,  who  was  the  stronger  of  the  two,  would  have 
hove  the  mate  overboard  had  not  the  crew  rushed  aft  and 
separated  them. 

The  mate  then  went  below,  and  the  captain  rolled  about 


138  Peter  Trawl. 

the  deck,  stamping  and  shouting  that  he  would  be  revenged 
on  him.     At  last  he  also  went  down  into  the  cabin. 

Fearing  that  he  would  at  once  put  his  fearful  threats  into 
execution  and  attack  the  mate,  I  followed,  intending  to 
call  the  crew  to  my  assistance  should  it  be  necessary.  I 
saw  him,  however,  take  another  pull  at  the  rum  bottle,  and 
then,  growling  and  muttering,  turn  into  his  bed.  I  waited 
till  I  supposed  that  he  was  asleep,  and  then  I  went  to  the 
mate's  berth. 

"There  is  no  one  in  charge  of  the  deck,  sir,"  I  said. 
"  And  if  it  was  to  blow  harder  as  it  seems  likely  to  do,  I 
don't  know  what  will  happen." 

"  Nor  do  I  either,  Peter,  with  ;uch  a  drunken  skipper  as 
ours,"  he  answered.  "What are  the  men  about?" 

"They  have  knocked  off  from  'ihe  pumps,  and  if  you 
don't  come  on  deck  and  order  them  co  turn  to  again  they'll 
let  the  brig  go  down  without  making  any  further  effort  to 
save  her,"  I  answered. 

My  remarks  had  some  effect,  for  thcugh  the  mate  had 
himself  been  drinking,  or  he  would  not  have  spoken  as  he 
did  to  the  captain,  he  yet  had  some  sense  left  in  his  head. 
He  at  last  got  up  and  came  on  deck.  All  the  hands, 
except  the  man  at  the  helm,  were  crouching  down  under 
the  weather  bulwarks  to  avoid  the  showers  of  spray  flying  in 
dense  masses  over  us.  The  sea  had  increased,  and  though 
we  had  not  much  sail  set,  the  brig  was  heeling  over  to 
the  furious  blasts  which  every  now  and  then  struck  her ;  if 
she  righted  it  was  only  to  bend  lower  still  before  the  next. 

"  Do  you  want  to  lose  your  lives  or  keep  them,  lads  ? " 
shouted  the  mate,  after  sounding  the  well.  "  Well  then,  I 
can  tell  you  that  if  you  don't  turn  to  at  once  and  work  hard, 
and  very  hard,  too,  the  brig  will  be  at  the  bottom  before  the 
morning." 

Still  the  men  did  not  move.     Jim  was  holding  on  near  me. 


A  Disastrous    Voyage.  139 

"  Come,  let  you  and  me  try  what  we  can  do,"  I  said ; 
"we  have  pumped  to  good  purpose  before  now." 

Jim  needed  no  second  asking.  Seizing  the  brakes,  we 
began,  and  pumped  away  with  all  our  might,  making  the 
water  rush  across  the  deck  in  a  full  stream.  Before  long 
one  man  got  up  and  joined,  then  another,  and  another. 
When  we  got  tired  and  cried,  "  Spell  ho ! "  the  rest  took 
our  places. 

"  I  see  you  want  to  save  your  lives,  lads,"  cried  the  mate, 
who  occasionally  took  a  spell  himself.  "  But  you  must 
keep  at  it,  or  it  will  be  of  no  use." 

All  that  day  we  stood  on,  the  crew  pumping  without 
intermission. 

"  If  the  wind  moderates  we'll  set  more  sail,"  said  the 
mate ;  "  but  the  brig  has  as  much  on  her  as  she  can  bear. 
We  must  be  soon  looking  out  for  land,  though.  You, 
Peter,  have  a  sharp  pair  of  eyes — go  aloft,  and  try  if  you  can 
see  it." 

Though  the  vessel  was  heeling  over  terribly  at  the  time,  I 
was  about  to  obey,  when  Jim  said,  "  No,  you  stay  on  deck ; 
let  me  go,  Peter." 

To  this  I  would  not  agree. 

"Then  I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Jim. 

So  we  both  crawled  up  the  weather  rigging  together.  Jim 
said  he  thought  that  he  saw  land  on  the  starboard  bow,  but 
I  did  not  get  a  glimpse  of  it,  and  felt  sure  that  he  was 
mistaken;  at  all  events  there  was  no  land  visible  ahead. 
We  remained  aloft  till  darkness  came  on,  and  there  was  no 
use  remaining  longer. 

We  made  our  reports  to  the  mate.  He  said  that  Jim  was 
right,  and  that  we  had  probably  passed  the  South  Fore- 
land. 

This  was,  however,  I  suspected,  only  to  encourage  the 
men  to  keep  at  the  pumps.  All  night  long,  spell  and  spell, 


140  Peter  Trawl. 

we  laboured  away.  When  the  morning  broke  no  land  was 
in  sight.  By  this  time  we  were  all  pretty  well  knocked  up, 
and  most  of  the  men  declared  that  they  could  pump  no 
longer. 

The  mate  now  tried  to  make  them  keep  on,  reminding 
them  that  if  they  did  not  they  would  lose  their  lives.  Some 
answered  that  they  would  take  their  chance,  but  Jim  and  I 
and  others  kept  at  our  duty.  Even  we,  however,  began  to 
feel  that  the  struggle  would  be  useless  unless  we  should 
soon  make  the  land,  for  the  mate  could  not  deny  that  the 
water  was  gaining  on  us. 

The  wind,  however,  began  to  moderate,  and  the  sun 
bursting  forth  from  between  the  clouds  cheered  us  up  a 
little. 

At  last  the  captain  came  on  deck.  After  looking  about 
him  for  some  time  he  told  me  to  go  below  and  get  his 
quadrant  He  was  apparently  sober,  and  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  what  had  happened. 

"  Have  you  a  second  one,  sir  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No ;  bring  the  one  I  always  use,"  he  answered. 

"  You  hove  it  at  the  mate  yesterday,  sir,"  I  said.  "  And 
he  fell  and  broke  his." 

"What  lies  are  you  telling,  youngster?"  he  exclaimed, 
uttering  a  fearful  oath.  Then  he  shouted  to  the  mate, 
who  had  gone  forward  to  be  out  of  his  way, 

"  Did  I  heave  my  quadrant  at  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  you  did,"  answered  the  mate.  "You  made  me 
break  mine,  too,  and  if  we  lose  our  lives  you'll  have  them 
on  your  head." 

The  captain  made  no  reply.  I  think  that  the  occurrence 
must  have  flashed  on  his  mind.  He  looked  at  the  compass, 
took  two  or  three  turns  on  deck,  and  then  ordered  more 
sail  to  be  set,  directly  afterwards  changing  the  ship's  course 
to  north-west.  I  therefore  supposed  that  we  were  steering 


A  Disastrous   Voyage.  141 

for  the  Downs,  or  perhaps  for  St.  Helens.  The  men, 
though  very  tired,  went  on  pumping  far  more  willingly  than 
before. 

A  bright  look-out  was  kept  for  land,  but  no  land  appeared. 
For  some  hours  the  brig  made  fair  progress,  but  as  the 
evening  drew  on  the  wind  again  got  up.  The  captain  had 
gone  below.  He  could  not  resist  taking  a  pull  at  the  rum 
bottle.  We  were  carrying  topsails  and  topgallant-sails. 

A  sudden  squall  laid  the  brig  over.  The  captain  sprang 
on  deck  and  shouted, 

"All  hands  shorten  sail!  You,  Peter  and  Jim,  up  aloft 
with  you  and  hand  the  maintop-gallant-sail." 

The  blast  had  passed  over  and  the  brig  had  righted.  Jim 
and  I  ran  aloft  to  obey  the  order. 

The  rest  of  the  people  were  still  on  deck  except  one  man, 
who  had  gone  up  the  fore-rigging,  about  to  let  fly  the  sheets 
and  brail  up ;  but,  nearly  worn  out  with  labouring  at  the 
pumps,  they  must  have  very  slowly  obeyed  the  orders  they 
received,  for  almost  before  a  sheet  was  let  go,  another 
furious  squall  struck  the  brig.  Over,  over  she  heeled. 

Jim  and  I  slid  down  into  the  main-top. 

"  Hold  on,  whatever  happens,"  cried  Jim. 

The  warning  was  given  not  a  moment  too  soon.  There 
was  a  fearful  cracking  sound,  the  mast  quivered,  it  was 
almost  right  over  the  water,  and  just  as  the  brig  was  on  her 
beam-ends  it  gave  way,  tearing  out  the  chain  plates  on  the 
weather  side,  and  Jim  and  I  were  hurled  with  it  into  the 
raging  sea. 

I  expected  every  moment  that  we  should  be  washed  off 
as  the  mast  was  towed  along,  and  so  we  must  have  been 
had  not  the  lee  shrouds  given  way. 

To  regain  the  brig  was  impossible ;  the  next  instant  the 
mast  was  clear  and  the  brig  drove  on.  Before  she  had  got 
a  cable's  length  from  us  the  foremast  also  went  by  the  board. 


142  Peter  TrawL 

We  could  see  no  one  on  it  as  it  was  towed  along.  A  minute 
or  more  passed 

The  mast  to  which  we  clung  rose  to  the  top  of  a  sea,  we 
saw  the  brig  plunge  into  another.  Again  we  looked,  for 
one  instant  we  saw  her  stern,  and  the  next  she  was  gone. 

We  were  too  far  off  to  hear  a  cry.  The  foremast  must 
have  been  drawn  down  with  her.  The  boats  were  securely 
lashed.  Nothing  that  we  could  see  remained  floating.  We 
knew  that  our  late  shipmates  had  perished. 

Our  own  condition  was  fearful  in  the  extreme.  At  any 
moment  we  might  be  washed  from  our  hold!  Now  our  heads 
were  under  water !  Now  we  rose  to  the  top  of  a  sea  and 
looked  down  into  a  deep  gulf  below  us. 

"  Hold  on  ;  hold  on,  Peter,"  cried  Jim,  who  was  clinging 
on  the  mast  close  to  me.  "  Don't  give  up.  Here,  I've  cut 
a  piece  of  rope  for  you.  Lash  yourself  on  with  it.  I'll  get 
a  piece  for  myself  presently." 

I  wanted  him  to  secure  himself  first,  but  he  insisted  thet 
I  should  take  the  rope,  and  I  lashed  myself  with  it.  He 
soon  afterwards  secured  himself  in  the  same  way.  \Ye 
might  thus  prolong  our  lives;  but  should  we  be  able  to  hokl 
out  till  a  passing  vessel  might  pick  us  up  ?  I  asked  myself. 

We  were  far  away  from  land,  and  hours,  perhaps  days, 
might  go  by  before  the  mast  was  seen,  and  only  our  dead 
bodies  would  be  found.  We  had  no  food,  no  fresh  water ; 
night  was  coming  on.  I  did  not  tell  my  thoughts  to  Jim, 
nor  did  he  say  what  was  passing  in  his  mind ;  but  we  trieJ 
to  cheer  each  other  up.  For  an  instant  the  clouds  broke 
asunder  in  die  west,  and  the  sun,  jiis-  as  he  sank  below  the 
horizon,  bursting  forth,  shed  a  bright  glow  over  the  foaming 
ocean. 

"He'll  not  be  long  down,"  cried  Jim,  "and  he'll  warm 
us  on  t'other  side  when  he  rises." 

Jim's  remark  did  me  good.     We  had  cause  to  hope  for 


A  Disastrous   Voyage.  143 

the  best.  The  squall  which  had  carried  away  the  brig's 
masts  was  the  last  of  the  gale.  The  wind  rapidly  fell,  and 
the  sea  went  down,  so  that  in  a  short  time  we  could  keep 
ourselves  almost  entirely  out  of  the  water.  The  mast 
became  more  quiet  Had  we  not  lashed  ourselves  to  it 
when  we  fell  asleep  as  we  both  did  now  and  then,  we  might 
have  dropped  off.  We  talked  as  much  as  we  could,  both 
to  keep  up  our  spirits  and  to  prevent  ourselves  from  dozing. 
Thus  the  night  passed.  It  seemed  long  enough,  but  not 
so  long  as  I  expected.  I  must  have  closed  my  eyes  when 
I  heard  Jim  shout,  "A  sail !  a  sail !  "  and  opening  them  I 
saw  a  large  ship  under  all  sail  about  a  couple  of  miles  away, 
standing  on  a  course  which  we  hoped  would  bring  her 
near  us. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

JIM  AND  I  CARRIED  OFF  AGAINST  OUR  WILL. 

"  OHALL  we  be  seen,  Jim,  think  you?"  I  asked,  after  we 

vJ  had  gazed  at  the  ship  some  minutes  without  speaking. 

"  Ain't  quite  certain,"  answered  Jim,  in  a  sad  voice ;  "  if 
I  thought  so,  I  could  sing  for  joy,  that  I  could,  but  the 
ship's  a  long  way  off,  and  maybe  she'll  haul  closer  to  the 
wind  and  pass  us  by." 

"Oh,  Jim !  let  us  pray  that  she'll  not  do  that,"  I  exclaimed. 
"  She's  standing,  as  far  as  I  can  make  out,  directly  towards 
us,  and  why  should  we  fancy  that  we  are  to  be  deserted  ? 
Cheer  up,  Jim  !  cheer  up  ! " 

"That's  what  I'm  trying  to  do,"  said  Jim.  "Still  we 
must  not  make  too  certain.  If  she  doesn't  pick  us  up 
another  vessel  may.  We  are  in  the  track  of  ships  going  up 
and  down  Channel,  and  that's  one  comfort" 

Jim  did  not  say  this  all  at  once,  for  he  stopped  sometimes 
to  take  a  look  at  the  stranger,  and  every  now  and  then  a  sea 
washed  up  and  made  us  close  our  mouths.  Still  the  seas 
were  every  instant  growing  less  and  less,  and  we  at  last 
unlashed  ourselves  that  we  might  move  about  a  little  and 
stretch  our  limbs. 

We  were  on  the  top,  it  must  be  remembered,  so  that  we 
did  not  run  the  same  risk  'of  falling  off  as  we  should  have 
done  if  we  had  had  only  the  mast  to  support  us. 

With  straining  -eyes  we  watched  the  ship.     Still  she  held 


Jim  and  I  Car)  icd  Off  against  our  Will.   145 

the  same  course  on  which  she  had  been  steering  when  we 
first  saw  her,  and  which  was  bringing  her  nearer  and  nearer 
to  us. 

"  Hurrah,  Jim  !  we  shall  soon  be  seen,  depend  on  that," 
I  exclaimed,  at  last,  "  and  perhaps  before  to-night  we  shall 
be  safe  on  shore.  Who  can  say  that  we  shan't  be  landed  at 
Portsmouth  itself?  " 

"I  wish  I  could  say  I  was  as  sure  as  you  are,  Peter,'' 
observed  Jim,  in  a  doleful  voice.  "  If  she  had  seen  us  it 
would  have  been  all  right ;  she  would  pick  us  up,  but  she 
may  alter  her  course.  Even  now  the  wind  is  shifting,  and 
she  may  have  to  keep  away." 

I  could  not  contradict  this ;  still  I  kept  on  hoping  that 
we  should  ere  long  be  seen.  I  had  a  white  handkerchief  in 
my  pocket,  although  it  was  rolled  into  a  ball  by  the  wet. 
I  pulled  it  out,  and  waved  it  above  my  head  as  high  as  I 
could  reach.  Even  now  we  might  have  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  those  on  board  the  stranger,  although  we  could 
distinguish  no  signal  made  to  us  in  return. 

"She's  a  thumping  big  ship,  whatever  she  is,"  I  re- 
marked. 

"  She's  high  out  of  the  water,  and  that  makes  her  look 
bigger,"  observed  Jim.  "I  have  seen  some  like  her  brought 
up  at  Spithead,  and  to  my  mind  she's  a  South  Sea  whaler, 
outward  bound.  That's  the  reason  she  looks  so  high.  Yes, 
I  am  right,  for  I  can  make  out  her  boats  hoisted  up  at  the 
davits." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,"  I  said  ;  "  but  even  if  she  is  an 
outward  bound  ship,  she'll  put  us  on  board  another  vessel 
homeward  bound,  or  land  us  on  some  part  of  the  coast,  the 
back  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  or  Portland." 

"  First  let  us  get  on  board  her  before  we  talk  of  where  we 
shall  be  landed,"  said  Jim.  "  It  seems  to  me  as  if  she  was 
going  about.  The  head  sails  are  shaking." 

10 


146  Peter  Trawl. 

"No,  no!  the  man  at  the  wheel  was  not  minding  his 
helm,"  I  answered.  "  I'll  wave  again." 

"  They  won't  see  that  little  bit  of  a  rag,"  cried  Jim, "'  I'll 
try  what  I  can  do.  Here,  Peter,  just  take  hold  of  my 
jacket,"  he  continued,  as  he  stripped  it  off,  and  then 
loosening  his  waistband  he  pulled  his  shirt  over  his  head, 
and  began  to  wave  it  frantically.  I  waved  my  handkerchief, 
and  then  in  our  eagerness  we  shouted  out  at  the  top  of  our 
voices,  as  if  the  faint  sounds  could  be  carried  as  far  as  the  ship. 

Presently  our  hearts  sank,  for  there  was  no  doubt  that  the 
ship  was  keeping  away.  Still,  should  anyone  on  board  be 
using  a  spy-glass,  and  turn  it  towards  us,  we  should,  we  hoped, 
be  observed.  We  waved  and  shouted  even  more  vehemently 
than  before,  but  even  I  was  almost  in  despair. 

"  She's  going  to  pass  us  after  all,"  cried  Jim,  "and  there's 
not  another  sail  in  sight." 

Just  as  he  spoke  there  came  a  puff  of  smoke  with  a  bright 
flash,  from  the  ship's  bows,  followed  by  a  sharp  report. 

"  We  are  seen  !  we  are  seen  ! "  shouted  Jim.  "  That's  a 
signal  to  us.  Hurrah  !  hurrah  ! " 

The  ship  now  came  rapidly  on,  and  we  had  no  longer 
any  doubt  about  being  rescued.  This  very  circumstance 
caused  a  reaction  in  our  feelings,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  we  both  burst  into  tears.  We  recovered  ourselves, 
however,  very  soon,  and  continued  waving,  still  having  an 
idea  that  the  ship  might  sail  away  from  us,  but  on  and  on 
she  came.  Presently  her  courses  were  brailed  up,  and  she 
hove  to  about  three  cables'  lengths  from  our  mast.  Almost 
at  the  same  instant  one  of  her  boats  was  lowered,  and  came 
pulling  towards  us  as  fast  as  the  men  could  bend  their  backs 
to  the  oars.  In  a  few  minutes  kindly  hands  were  stretched 
out  to  help  us  into  the  boat. 

"Are  you  the  only  two?"  asked  the  mate,  who  was  steering. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  all  the  rest  are  gone,"  I  answered. 


Jim  and  I  Carried  Off  against  our  Will.   147 

"  Well,  we'll  hear  all  about  it  when  we  get  you  on  board* 
lads,  for  you  both  seem  as  if  you  wanted  looking  after," 
he  said. 

The  boat  leaving  the  mast,  returned  rapidly  towards  the 
ship. 

While  most  of  the  crew  scrambled  up  the  sides,  the  tackles 
were  hooked  on,  and  we  were  hoisted  up  in  the  boat,  from 
whence  we  were  speedily  handed  down  on  deck.  I  could 
not  have  stood  if  I  had  not  been  supported,  and  Jim  was 
much  in  the  same  condition. 

"  We  were  soon  surrounded  by  strange  faces,  some  looking 
compassionately  upon  us,  others  with  indifference,  as  if  it 
was  a  matter  of  very  little  consequence  that  two  boys  should 
have  been  saved  from  perishing. 

Meantime  the  yards  were  swung  round  and  the  ship  stood 
on  her  course. 

"  We  must  have  the  lads  below  at  once,"  said  one  of 
the  persons  standing  round.  "  They  have  been  many  hours 
wet  through  and  exposed  on  the  mast,  and  even  now,  if  we 
don't  look  out,  they  may  slip  through  our  fingers." 

"Very  true,  Doctor  Cockle,"  said  another,  who  was,  I 
saw  by  his  dress,  an  officer.  "One  of  them  may  be  put  into 
my  cabin,  where  you  can  look  after  him  better  than  for'ard." 

"And  the  other  can  go  into  mine,"  said  the  doctor,  the 
person  who  had  first  spoken. 

No  one  had  asked  us  any  questions ;  probably  they  saw 
by  our  condition  that  we  should  have  been  unable  to  answer 
them,  for  both  Jim  and  I  were  fast  verging  towards  un- 
consciousness. 

We  were  at  once  carried  below,  when  I  was  put  into  the 
mate's  cabin,  where  my  clothes  were  stripped  off  by  the 
doctor's  orders,  and,  being  rubbed  dry,  I  was  placed  between 
the  blankets.  The  doctor,  who  had  been  looking  after  Jim, 
soon  came  and  gave  me  something  out  of  a  glass,  which 


148  Peter  Trawl. 

seemed  to  warm  me  up  wonderfully.  But  even  then  I  could 
not  have  spoken  if  my  life  had  depended  upon  it. 

"  Get  some  warm  broth  as  quickly  as  you  can,"  I  heard 
the  doctor  say  to  someone,  he  in  the  meantime  rubbing  my 
feet  and  hands  and  chest.  It  seemed  as  if  scarcely  more 
than  two  or  three  minutes  had  passed  when  a  basin  of  hot 
broth  was  brought  me,  which  I  drank  without  difficulty, 
and  it  did  me  more  good  than  the  stuff  in  the  glass. 

"  You  may  go  to  sleep  now,  my  lad,"  said  the  doctor,  in 
a  kind  tone ;  "  you'll  do  well  You  shall  tell  us  by-and-by 
how  you  and  your  companion  came  to  be  on  the  mast" 

I  obeyed  the  doctor's  orders,  and  scarcely  had  the  door 
been  closed  than  I  was  fast  asleep.  I  was  awakened  by  the 
doctor  coming  in,  accompanied  by  a  boy  who  brought  some 
more  soup  and  some  bread,  and  which,  being  very  hungry, 
I  thankfully  swallowed. 

"  You  can  eat  something  more  substantial  now,"  said  the 
doctor,  and  he  told  the  boy  to  bring  in  some  fowl  and  more 
bread  from  the  breakfast-table. 

By  this  I  guessed  that  I  must  have  had  a  long  spell  of 
sleep,  and  that  a  whole  day  and  a  night  had  passed  since  we 
were  taken  on  board.  I  eagerly  ate  all  that  was  given  me. 

"  You  may  get  up  now,  my  boy,  and  dress,  and  we  will 
find  another  berth  for  you ;  we  must  not  keep  Mr.  Griffiths 
out  of  his  bed,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  I  would  not  do  that  on  any  account,  sir,"  I  said ;  "  I 
feel  quite  strong,  and  am  accustomed  to  live  forward." 

I  soon  dressed,  and  was  glad  to  see  that  Jim  also  was  up. 
There  were  two  apprentices  on  board,  who  lived  on  the  half 
deck,  and  the  doctor  said  that  the  first  mate  promised  to 
have  some  berths  knocked  up  for  us  with  them. 

"How  did  you  come  to  be  on  board  the  vessel  which 
went  down  ?  n  asked  the  doctor,  when  I  accompanied  him 
on  deck. 


Jim  and  I  Carried  Off  against  our  Will.   149 

From  the  kind  way  he  spoke  I  was  encouraged  to  give 
him  a  full  account  of  myself  and  Jim,  so  I  told  him  that  he 
and  I  belonged  to  Portsmouth,  and  had  gone  in  the  Good 
Intent  to  Bergen  ;  and  how  she  hid  lost  her  masts,  and  the 
crew  had  been  washed  overboard.  How  the  captain  had 
died,  and  we  had  done  our  best  to  keep  the  brig  afloat,  and 
had  been  driven  in  close  to  Shetland,  and  that  I  had  found 
a  relative  there,  and  was  coming  south  in  the  Nancy  to  fetch 
my  sister.  He  then  asked  me  about  my  father,  and  I  told 
him  that  he  had  been  lost  at  Spithead,  and  that  mother  had 
died,  and  old  Tom  had  taken  care  of  Mary  and  me,  and 
how,  after  he  had  been  blown  up  in  the  ship  at  Spithead, 
Jim  and  I  had  managed  to  gain  our  bread  and  support 
Mary  and  Nancy  till  a  claimant  appeared  for  old  Tom's 
property,  and  our  boat  had  been  taken  from  us,  and  we  had 
been  turned  out  of  the  house,  and  should  have  been  in  a 
bad  way  if  the  good  Quaker,  Mr.  Gray,  had  not  come  to 
our  assistance. 

The  doctor  listened  attentively,  and  he  then  asked  me 
what  sort  of  man  my  father  was,  and  whether  I  had  a  brother 
in  the  navy. 

I  described  my  father,  and  then  said  that  Jack  had  gone 
away  on  board  the  Lapwing  brig  of  war,  but  that  he  was 
supposed  to  have  been  cut  off  by  savages  in  one  of  her  boats 
when  in  the  Indian  seas.  At  all  events,  that  we  had  never 
since  heard  of  him. 

"That's  very  strange,"  he  observed;  "I  think,  Peter 
Trawl,  that  we  have  met  before,  when  you  were  a  very  little 
chap.  Do  you  remember  your  father  taking  off  the  doctor 
and  the  mate  of  a  ship  lying  at  Spithead,  when  you  and 
your  brother  Jack  were  in  the  boat,  and  he  was  to  be  put 
on  board  the  brig  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  said,  looking  up  at  his  face:  "I  re- 
collect it  perfectly,  as  it  was  the  last  time  I  saw  Jack, 


150  Peter  Trawl. 

though  I  little  thought  then  that  I  should  never  see  him 
again." 

"  I  was  the  doctor,  and  the  first  mate  of  this  ship  was  my 
companion.  When  I  first  heard  your  name,  as  it  is  a 
peculiar  one,  I  all  of  a  sudden  recollected  that  it  was  that 
of  the  boatman  who  took  Mr.  Griffiths  and  me  off  on  the 
occasion  I  speak  of.  We  are  now  brothers-in  law,  and  have 
ever  since  gone  to  sea  together — that  is  to  say,  when  we 
have  gone  to  sea,  for  both  of  us  have  taken  long  spells  on 
shore.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  that,  Mr.  Griffiths  would  have 
been  a  captain  years  ago." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you  and  him  again,  sir,"  I  said; 
''and  now  I  look  at  you  I  fancy  I  recollect  your  countenance, 
as  I  did  your  voice.  You  were  not  as  well  accustomed  to 
the  sea  then  as  you  are  now." 

"  No,"  he  answered,  laughing.  "That  was  my  first  voyage. 
I  sometimes  wish  that  I  had  lived  comfortably  on  shore,  and 
made  it  my  last,  but  I  got  accustomed  to  a  roving  life,  and 
having  no  regular  business  or  tie,  when  circumstances  com- 
pelled Mr.  Griffiths — who  married  my  sister — to  come  to  sea 
again,  I  agreed  to  accompany  him." 

I  felt  sure  from  the  kind  way  in  which  Doctor  Cockle 
spoke  that  he  would  wish  to  serve  me. 

I  asked  him  if  the  ship  was  going  to  put  into  St.  Helens, 
or  if  not,  would  he  get  the  captain  to  land  Jim  and  me  at 
Portland  ? 

"  We  are  some  way  to  the  westward  of  Portland,  already," 
he  answered.  "  It  is  possible  that  he  may  land  you  at 
Plymouth  or  Falmouth,  or  if  not  put  you  on  board  some 
pilot  or  fishing  boat,  or  any  vessel  we  may  fall  in  with 
coming  up  Channel." 

"  Surely,  sir,  he  would  not  carry  us  away  from  home  ?  I 
would  give  anything  to  be  on  shore,  where  my  young  sister 
is  expecting  me,  and  it  would  break  her  heart  to  fancy 


Jim  and  I  Carried  Off  against  our  Will.    151 

I  was  lost,  which  she  would  do  if  I  did  not  appear,"  I 
said. 

"  As  Mr.  Griffiths  and  I  only  joined  the  ship  at  Hull,  ten 
days  ago,  we  are  not  very  intimate  with  the  captain  :  but  I 
hope  he  would  not  refuse  your  request" 

The  doubtful  way  in  which  he  spoke  made  me  feel  very 
unhappy.  Still,  I  hoped  that  when  I  told  the  captain  the 
strong  reasons  I  had  for  wishing  to  be  put  on  shore  as  soon 
as  possible,  he  would  not  refuse. 

The  doctor  left  me  to  attend  to  one  of  the  men  who  was 
sick  forward,  and  I  joined  Jim,  who  had  also  come  on  deck. 
I  had  a  long  talk  with  him  about  the  matter.  He  fancied 
we  were  only  then  just  abreast  of  the  Downs,  and  that  the 
captain  would  put  in  willingly  enough  for  the  sake  of  getting 
rid  of  us.  It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  find  that  we 
were  so  far  down  Channel,  and  that  we  should  thus,  at  all 
events,  have  a  long  journey  back  to  Portsmouth.  Still  we 
neither  of  us  doubted  for  a  moment  that  we  should  be  put 
on  shore  somewhere  to  the  westward,  as  I  saw  by  a  look  I 
had  at  the  compass  that  we  were  standing  for  the  land. 

While  we  were  talking,  the  captain,  whom  we  had  not  yet 
seen,  came  on  deck.  He  was  a  line,  tall,  sailor-like  looking 
man,  with  a  handsome  countenance  and  large  eyes,  which 
seemed  to  take  in  everything  at  a  glance — a  person  of  whom 
the  roughest  crew  would  stand  in  awe. 

His  bright  eyes  fell  on  Jim  and  me:  he  beckoned  us  to 
come  up,  and,  looking  at  me,  bade  me  give  him  the  particu- 
lars of  the  loss  of  the  brig,  about  which  Mr.  Griffiths  and 
the  doctor  had  told  him. 

I  gave  him  the  account  as  he  desired,  and  then  thought 
that  I  might  venture  to  ask  him  to  put  Jim  and  me  on  shore, 
for  that,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  the  thing  uppermost  in  my 
mind. 

"We  will  see  about  that,  my  lads,"  he  answered.     "  If 


152  PJer   Trawl. 

the  wind  holds  as  it  now  does  it  won't  cause  us  any  delay, 
but  I  can  make  no  promises.  Boys  at  your  age  ought  to 
wish  to  see  the  world,  and  we  can  find  employment  for  you 
on  board.  You  are  sharp  fellows,  I  can  see,  or  you  would 
not  have  saved  your  lives.  One  of  the  apprentices  isn't 
worth  his  salt,  and  the  other  will  slip  his  cable  before  long, 
I  suspect.  His  friends  insisted  on  my  taking  him,  fancying 
that  the  voyage  would  restore  him  to  health." 

The  captain  spoke  in  so  free-and-easy  a  way  that  the  awe 
with  which  I  was  at  first  inclined  to  regard  him  vanished 

The  wind,  I  should  have  said,  had  shifted  to  the  westward 
of  south.  We  were  standing  about  north-west,  a  course 
which  would  carry  us  over  to  the  English  coast  before  long. 
We  were  obliged  to  be  content  with  the  sort  of  promise  that 
the  captain  had  made,  and  I  hoped  that  when  the  doctor 
and  Mr.  Griffiths  spoke  to  him,  that  he  would  not  refuse  to 
put  us  on  shore. 

Though  Jim  and  I  were  well  enough  to  walk  about  the 
deck,  we  were  too  weak  to  venture  aloft,  or  we  should  have 
been  at  the  masthead  looking  out  for  land.  We  went  for- 
ward, however,  keeping  our  eyes  over  the  starboard  bow, 
where  we  expected  every  instant  to  see  it. 

Several  of  the  men  s^ ok  •  to  us  good-naturedly,  and  were 
as  eager  as  the  officers  had  been  to  hear  what  had  happened 
to  us.  While  we  were  standing  there  looking  out,  a  lad 
came  up  and  said,  "  So  I  hear  you  fellows  are  to  be  our 
messmates.  What  are  your  names  ?" 

I  told  him. 

"  Mine's  Ned  Horner,"  he  said,  "  and  I  hope  we  shall  be 
friends,  for  I  can't  make  anythiog  of  the  fellow  who  messes 
with  me,  George  Esdale.  There's  no  fun  in  him,  and  he 
won't  talk  or  do  anything  when  it's  his  watch  below  but  read 
and  sing  psalms." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  friends  with  you,"  I  answered,  "but 


Jim  and  1  Carried  Off  against  our  Will.    153 

I  don't  suppose  it  will  be  for  long,  as  I  expect  we  shall  leave 
the  ship  to-night  or  to-morrow  morning." 

"  That  may  or  may  not  be,"  he  remarked,  with  a  laugh. 
"  Have  you  been  long  at  sea?" 

I  told  him  that  I  had  been  brought  up  to  it  from  my  boy- 
hood. 

"  Well,  you  have  the  advantage  of  me,  for  this  is  my  first 
voyage;  and  Esdale  didn't  know  the  stem  from  the  stern 
when  he  first  came  on  board.  Now  come  along  to  the  half- 
deck  ;  he  and  I  are  going  to  dinner ;  I  suppose  you'll  join 
us?" 

Jim  and  I  were  beginning  to  feel  hungry,  and  willingly  ac- 
cepted Horner's  invitation. 

The  savoury  whiffs  which  came  out  of  the  caboose  as  we 
passed  made  me  feel  more  eager  than  ever  for  something  to 
eat. 

Homer  took  us  down  to  the  half-deck,  where  we  found 
Esdale,  of  whom  he  had  spoken,  seated  on  a  chest  reading. 
He  was  a  pale,  sickly-looking  youth,  taller  a  good  deal  than 
Jim. 

He  put  down  his  book  and  held  out  his  hand  to  shake  ours. 

"  It's  your  turn  to  go  for  the  dinner,"  he  said  to  Horner, 
"  and  it  must  be  ready  by  this  time,  but  I'll  go  if  you  wish 
it." 

^  Well,  you  may  go,"  said  Horner ;  "  I  want  to  do  the 
honours  to  these  fellows.  Take  care  that  you  don't  capsize 
with  the  things  as  you  come  along  the  deck." 

Then,  without  another  word,  Esdale  got  up,  and  putting 
his  book  into  the  chest,  went  forward. 

"  I  make  him  do  just  what  I  like,"  said  Horner,  in  a  con 
temptuous  tone.  "  Take  care  that  you  don't  treat  him  in  the 
same  way,  for  if  he  has  too  many  masters  he  may  be  inclined 
to  kick." 

Before  long  Esdale  returned  with  a  bowl  of  pea-soup,  and 


154  Peter  Trawl. 

a  plate  at  the  top  of  it  containing  some  potatoes,  and  a  piece 
of  fat  boiled  pork. 

"Now  fall  to,  youngsters,"  said  Horner,  in  a  patronising 
tone.  "  I  am  sorry  not  to  be  able  to  offer  you  better  fare." 

While  he  was  speaking  he  got  out  of  a  locker  four  plates 
and  two  metal  spoons  and  two  wooden  ones. 

We  did  ample  justice  to  the  dinner,  as  we  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  nothing  better  while  we  were  on  board  the  Nancy. 
After  the  meal  was  finished  we  returned  on  deck,  though 
Esdale  did  not  offer  to  accompany  us,  as  he  spent  his  watch 
below,  as  Horner  had  said,  in  reading,  writing,  or  singing  in 
a  low  voice  to  himself. 

We  passed  the  afternoon  looking  out  for  the  land.  At 
length,  when  night  came  on,  in  spite  of  my  anxiety  to  see  the 
coast,  and  the  long  sleep  I  had  had,  I  felt  scarcely  able  to 
keep  my  eyes  open.  Still,  I  should  probably  have  remained 
on  deck  after  dark  had  not  the  doctor  come  to  us  and  said, 
"  I  have  spoken  to  the  captain,  lads,  and  he  promises  to  put 
you  on  shore  to-morrow  morning ;  so  now  go  and  turn  in, 
for  you  require  sleep." 

We  went  to  the  half-deck,  where  we  found  that  the  carpen- 
ter had  knocked  up  some  rough  bunks,  in  which  some  mat- 
tresses and  blankets  had  been  placed.  We  were  both  glad 
enough  to  turn  in.  I  observed  that  Esdale,  before  he  did 
so,  knelt  down  and  said  his  prayers.  It  was  Homer's  watch 
on  deck,  so  that  he  was  not  present. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  " INTREPID"  BEGUN. 

I  SLEPT  right  through  the  ni^ht,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  when  I  opened  my  eyes  that  it  was  daylight. 
Jim  and  I  at  once  turned  out  and  went  on  deck. 

There  was  the  land,  broad  on  the  starboard  bow,  still  at 
some  distance.  When  I  looked  aloft  I  saw  that  the  yards 
were  square,  and  studding-sails  on  either  side.  A  strong 
north-easterly  wind  was  blowing,  and  we  were  running  down 
Channel. 

The  captain,  the  first  mate,  and  the  doctor  were  on  deck. 
Jim  and  I  gazed  eagerly  at  the  land. 

1  went  up  to  the  doctor. 

"Whereabouts  are  we,  sir?  "  I  asked. 

"We  are  off  the  Start,  my  lad." 

"Off  the  Start!"  I  exclaimed.  "Oh,  sir,  won't  the 
captain  'put  into  Plymouth  to  land  us  as  he  promised  ?  Do 
speak  to  him,  sir." 

"These  lads  are  very  anxious  to  be  landed,  Captain 
Hawkins,"  he  said.  "  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to 
young  Trawl  here,  and  it  would  not  much  delay  us." 

The  mate  spoke  in  the  same  way,  and  entreated  the 
captain  even  in  stronger  language  than  Dr.  Cockle  had  used. 

"No,  no,"  he  answered.  "Very  likely  they  do  wish  to 
be  put  on  shore,  but  we  cannot  lose  a  moment  of  this  fine 


156  PeLr  Trawi. 

breeze.  The  trip  won't  do  them  any  harm,  and  they'll 
thank  me  for  it  by-and-by." 

Jim,  when  he  heard  this,  was  too  angry  on  my  account  to 
speak,  but  I  lifted  up  my  hands  and  implored  the  captain 
to  have  pity  on  my  young  sister,  if  not  on  me. 

"Very  fine,  my  lad,"  he  answered,  with  a  laugh;  "but 
you  are  not  quite  of  so  much  importance  as  you  suppose. 
It  might  delay  us  not  only  for  a  few  hours,  but  for  days, 
perhaps,  and,  doctor,  I  cannot  listen  to  you.  We've  got  a 
favourable  breeze,  and  I  intend  to  make  the  best  use  of  it. 

Once  more  I  implored  and  entreated  that  the  captain 
would  not  carry  us  away  from  home.  All  was  of  no  use ; 
he  would  not  listen  either  to  the  doctor  or  the  mate,  or  us. 
At  length,  growing  angry,  he  said  he  would  not  hear  another 
word  on  the  subject,  and  Jim  and  I,  by  the  doctor's  advice, 
went  for'ard  to  be  out  of  his  way.  There  we  stood,  watch- 
ing with  straining  eyes  the  shore,  past  which  we  were  running, 
and  at  length  the  Land's  End  came  in  sight 

"Cheer  up,  my  lads,"  said  our  kind  friend,  who  came 
for'ard  to  us.  "The  wind  may  change,  and  we  may  be 
driven  back,  or  we  may  be  able  to  put  you  on  board  some 
homeward-bound  ship.  Cheer  up  !  cheer  up ! " 

The  land,  as  I  stood  gazing  at  it,  rapidly  sank  below  the 
horizon.  I  strained  my  eyes — the  last  faint  line  had 
disappeared.  I  could  have  cried,  but  my  grief  was  too 
bitter  for  tears.  Not  that  I  cared  for  being  carried  away  on 
my  own  account,  but  I  thought  of  the  sorrow  my  kind 
relatives  in  Shetland  would  feel — Mr.  Troil  and  his  daughter, 
and  dear  little  Maggie,  and  more  than  all  how  Mary  would 
feel  as  she  waited  day  after  day  for  the  arrival  of  the  brig 
which  was  never  to  appear,  and  then,  when  all  hope  was 
gone,  how  she  would  mourn  for  us,  and  Nancy  also  would, 
I  knew,  share  her  feelings. 

If  I  could  have  sent  but  a  line  to  my  sister  to  tell  her  I 


Tkt  Voyage  of  the  "Intrepid"  begun, 

was  safe,  though  I  might  be  long  absent,  it  would  not  have 
so  much  mattered.  Mr.  Gray  would  take  very  good  care  of 
her,  and  she  would  have  written  to  Mr.  Troil  to  explain 
what  had  happened ;  but  as  it  was  I  could  scarcely  bear  it. 

"  The  doctor  told  us  to  cheer  up,  and  that's  what  I  say  to 
you,  Peter,"  cried  Jim,  trying  to  console  me.  "  Maybe  we 
shall  fall  in  with  a  homeward-bound  ship  after  all,  though  I 
don't  think  there's  much  chance  of  our  seeing  the  shores  of 
old  England  again  for  a  long  time  to  come  if  we  don't,  as  it 
looks  as  if  the  wind  would  hold  in  its  present  quarter  till  we 
are  well  out  in  the  Atlantic." 

Jim  was  right.  With  yards  squared  and  every,  stitch  of 
canvas  the  ship  could  carry,  we  bowled  along  at  a  rate  which 
soon  left  our  native  land  far  astern. 

I  had  been  too  long  at  sea,  and  knew  the  duties  of  a 
sailor  too  well,  to  feel  for  myself  so  much  as  many  fellows  of 
my  age  under  similar  circumstances  would  have  done.  Jim 
also  tried  to  rouse  me  up,  so  instead  of  moping  I  determined 
to  exert  myself.  I  still  had  the  hope  to  support  me  that 
before  long  we  might  fall  in  with  a  homeward-bound  ship, 
and  I  concluded  that  the  captain  would,  without  hesitation, 
put  Jim  and  me  on  board  her. 

The  day  after  we  took  our  departure  from  the  Land's  End 
he  saw  us  both  together  on  deck. 

"What  are  those  youngsters  idling  there  for?"  he 
exclaimed,  turning  to  Mr.  Griffiths.  "  Put  them  in  a  watch 
at  once,  and  let  me  see  that  they  do  their  duty.  If  they 
don't,  let  them  look  out  for  squalls  ! " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir !  "  answered  the  mate,  who,  though  of  a  very 
independent  spirit,  always  spoke  respectfully  to  the  captain. 

He  considerately  placed  us  both  in  the  same  watch, 
knowing  that  we  should  like  it,  as  we  should  be  able  to  talk 
at  night  when  we  were  on  deck  and  had  no  especial  duty  to 
perform. 


158  Peter  Trawl. 

We  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  way  the  men  treated 
us,  rough  as  some  of  them  were.  The  doctor  and  Mr. 
Griffiths  always  behaved  kindly,  but  the  captain  took  no 
further  notice  of  us,  except  when  he  ordered  Jim  or  me  to 
do  something.  To  my  surprise,  I  found  that  the  ship  was 
the  Intrepid — the  very  one  my  father  and  I  had  put  Mr. 
Griffiths  and  the  doctor  on  board  so  many  years  before. 
She  was  then  quite  a  new  ship,  and,  being  strongly  built, 
she  was  as  sound  as  ever.  I  have  spoken  of  her  as  a  ship, 
but  she  was  barque-rigged,  as  almost  all  whalers  are,  barques 
being  more  easily  handled  than  ship-rigged  craft.  The 
Intrepid  was  upwards  of  three  hundred  tons  burden,  with  a 
crew  of 'thirty  hands  all  told,  and  stored,  I  found,  for  a 
cruise  of  two  years  or  more.  She  carried  six  whale-boats, 
and  materials  for  building  others  should  any  of  them  be  lost. 
There  were  three  mates,  a  carpenter  and  cooper  and  their 
mates ;  an  armourer,  a  steward,  and  cook ;  four  boat  steerers, 
four  able  seamen,  six  ordinary  seamen,  the  doctor,  two 
apprentices,  Jim,  and  me. 

I  had  never  before  been  on  board  a  whaler,  and  as  I 
listened  to  the  long  yarns  of  the  men  describing  their  hair- 
breadth escapes  and  the  exciting  chases  after  the  monsters 
of  the  deep,  I  felt,  had  I  not  had  such  cogent  reasons  for 
returning  home,  that  I  would  very  gladly  have  gone  out  to 
the  South  Seas  to  witness  with  my  own  eyes  the  scenes  the 
men  spoke  of.  Still  I  longed  as  much  as  ever  to  get  back 
to  England. 

Jim  and  I  made  it  out  pretty  well  with  the  two  appren- 
tices. Horner  was  inclined  to  look  down  upon  Jim  for 
his  want  of  education.  Esdale  treated  us  both  alike  with 
gentleness  and  consideration,  and  offered  to  teach  Jim  to 
read  and  write  if  he  wished  to  learn.  It  had  never  occurred 
to  me  to  try  and  do  so.  Indeed,  although  we  had  been  so 
much  together,  I  had  not  had  many  opportunities. 


The  Voyage  of  the  "  Intrepid"  begun.      159 

The  second  night  we  were  on  board  I  was  awakened  by 
feeling  some  hairy  creature  nestling  by  my  side.  I  sung 
out,  not  a  little  frightened. 

"What's  up?"  cried  Homer,  who  had  just  come  below 
to  rouse  Jim  and  me  out  to  keep  our  watch. 

"  A  great  big  brute  of  some  sort  has  come  into  my  bunk ; 
I  wonder  it  hasn't  bitten  me,"  I  answered. 

"  Why,  I've  got  another  here  ! "  exclaimed  Jim,  who  just 
then  awoke.  "What  in  the  world  is  it?" 

Horner  laughed  loudly. 

"  Why,  they're  our  ferrets,"  he  answered.  "  Didn't  you 
see  them  before  ?  " 

"  No,  and  I  never  wish  to  see  them  again,"  answered  Jim, 
as  he  flung  the  creature  down  on  the  deck. 

Horner  then  told  us  that  the  captain  had  taken  a  couple 
on  board  at  Hull  to  kill  the  rats,  and  that  although  a  hutch 
had  been  made  for  them  the  creatures  always  managed  to 
get  out  at  night  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  a  warm  berth,  and 
that  if  we  put  them  into  their  hutch  they  would  be  sure  to 
find  their  way  back  again  into  his  or  Esdale's  bunks  before 
they  had  been  many  minutes  asleep. 

The  truth  was  the  ferrets  were  more  afraid  of  the  rats  than 
the  rats  were  of  them.  We  bore  the  annoyance  for  three 
nights  more,  and  then,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  our 
mess,  we  got  Horner  to  carry  them  down  into  the  hold, 
from  which  they  never  ascended,  and  we  concluded  that 
they  either  got  drowned  in  the  bilge  water  or  were  eaten  up 
by  the  rats. 

We  had  not  been  long  at  sea  before  a  heavy  gale  sprang 
up,  but  as  the  wind  was  from  the  westward  we  were  able  to 
lay  our  course. 

To  Jim  and  me  it  mattered  very  little,  although  the  waves 
were  much  higher  than  I  had  seen  them  in  the  North  Sea, 
but  poor  Esdale  suffered  very  much,  and  Horner's  conceit 


160  Peter  Trawl. 

was  taken  down  a  good  many  pegs.  Jim  and  I  did  our  best 
to  look  after  them,  and  to  try  to  get  them  to  eat  something, 
but  they  could  only  swallow  liquids. 

"  Oh,  let  me  alone  !  let  me  alone  ! "  cried  Horner. 

The  doctor  came  to  see  Esdale  frequently,  and  advised 
that  he  should  be  taken  to  a  spare  berth  in  the  cabin,  but 
the  captain  would  not  allow  it. 

"  All  lads  get  sick  when  they  first  come  to  sea  if  there's  a 
gale  of  wind,  and  he'll  come  round  again  by-and-by,"  he 
remarked  in  his  usual  off-hand  way. 

This  was  not  told  to  Esdale,  who  said,  indeed,  that  he 
preferred  remaining  where  he  was. 

As  the  weather  was  tolerably  warm,  I  believe  that  he  was 
as  well  off  on  the  half-deck  as  he  would  have  been  in  the 
cabin. 

At  last  the  gale  came  to  an  end— or  rather  we  ran  out  of 
it.  Esdale  got  somewhat  better  again,  but  I  observed  that 
he  had  changed  greatly  in  appearance  since  we  came  on 
board. 

I  had  now  to  abandon  all  hopes  of  the  ship  putting  back, 
but  there  was  still  a  possibility  of  getting  on  board  a  home- 
ward-bound vessel. 

Two  days  .after  the  gale  had  ceased,  while  I  was  below,  I 
heard  the  cry  of  "  Sail,  ho !  "  from  the  man  at  the  mast- 
head. 

I  hurried  on  deck.  We  had  the  wind  abeam,  and  so  had 
she — a  soldier's  wind  as  it  is  called.  We  should  meet  the 
approaching  vessel  before  long  and  pass  each  other,  with 
not  a  cable's  length  between  us. 

I  watched  her  eagerly.  We  drew  closer  and  closer  to 
each  other.  When  we  got  nearly  abreast  I  went  up  to  the 
first  mate  and  asked  him  what  she  was. 

"  She's  from  the  Brazils,  bound  for  Liverpool,"  he 
answered 


The  Voyage  of  the  "  Intrepid"  begun.     161 

Just  then  I  saw  the  captain  come  on  deck.  Forgetting 
what  he  was  I  rushed  up  to  him. 

"Oh,  Captain  Hawkins,  will  you  put  Jim  and  me  on 
board  her  ?  "  I  exclaimed.  "  You  don't  know  how  much  I 
want  to  get  home ;  it  won't  delay  you  ten  minutes  to  put 
us  on  board." 

"  Ten  minutes  of  this  fine  breeze  lost  for  the  sake  of  a 
boy  like  you,"  he  answered,  with  a  scornful  laugh.  "  I 
expended  more  than  ten  in  heaving  to  to  pick  you  up,  and 
that  was  as  much  as  you  are  worth.  Go  forward,  you  young 
monkey,  and  give  me  no  more  of  your  impudence." 

Undaunted  by  his  heartless  answer,  I  again  and  again 
implored  that  he  would  put  me  on  board  the  Liverpool  ship, 
but  he  stood  looking  contemptuously  at  me  without  uttering 
a  word,  till  Jim,  seeing  that  I  was  making  no  way,  coming 
up,  hat  in  hand,  exclaimed, 

"  If  you'll  put  Peter  here  on  board  yonder  ship,  sir,  that 
he  may  go  home  to  his  young  sister  and  friends,  I'll  stay 
here  and  work  for  you,  and  be  your  slave  for  as  many  years 
as  you  may  want  me.  Do,  sir — do  let  poor  Peter  go ! " 

"  Off  with  you  for'ard,"  thundered  the  captain,  with  a 
fierce  oath.  "  How  dare  you  speak  to  me  ?  Away,  both  of 
you  !  Somebody  has  been  putting  you  up  to  this,  I  know." 
And  he  glanced  angrily  at  Dr.  Cockle  and  the  mate. 

"  If  you  mean  me,  Captain  Hawkins,  I  know  that  the  lad 
has  very  good  reasons  for  wishing  to  return  home,  but  I  did 
not  advise  him  or  Jim  Pulley  to  speak  to  you.  I  certainly 
wish  that  you  would  put  Peter  Trawl  on  board  thaf  home- 
ward-bound ship." 

"You  may  wish  what  you  like,  but  I  am  not  going  to 
allow  what  I  choose  to  do  to  be  found  fault  with  by  you  or 
any  other  man  on  board  this  ship ! "  cried  the  captain 
turning  on  his  heel  "  So  look  out  for  yourself,"  he  added, 
glancing  half  over  his  shoulder. 

IX 


162  Peter  Trawl. 

The  ordinary  salutes  were  exchanged,  and  the  two  vessels 
stood  on  their  course. 

My  heart  felt  as  if  it  would  burst  with  indignation  and 
sorrow.  Had  the  wind  been  light,  I  might,  perhaps,  have 
been  able  to  put  a  letter  on  board,  even  although  the 
captain  would  not  have  let  me  go. 

Esdale  tried  to  comfort  me,  and  advised  me  to  have  one 
written  ready  to  send  should  another  opportunity  occur. 

The  first  land  we  made  soon  after  this  was  Madeira. 
Except  the  coast  of  Norway,  I  had  seen  no  foreign  country, 
and  as  we  passed  it  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  it  struck  me 
as  very  beautiful  and  fertile. 

The  wind  being  light  we  tarred  down  the  rigging,  and  a 
few  days  afterwards,  when  we  were  about  eight  hundred 
miles  from  the  land,  one  morning,  on  coming  on  deck,  I 
noticed  that  the  shrouds  and  every  freshly-tarred  rope  looked 
as  red  as  if  they  had  been  just  painted.  I  asked  the  doctor, 
who  allowed  me  to  speak  to  him  in  a  familiar  way,  what  had 
caused  this,  and  he  told  me  that  it  was  the  red  sand  blown 
off  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  that  it  was  a  common  occurrence 
in  these  latitudes. 

We  passed  in  sight  of  the  Cape  de  Verde  islands,  one  of 
which,  called  Fogo,  seemed  of  a  prodigious  height.  The 
first  place  we  touched  at  was  the  island  of  Brava,  into  which 
the  captain  put  to  obtain  fresh  provisions. 

"  Now  is  my  time,"  I  thought.  "  If  I  can  go  on  shore 
here,  I  shall  be  able  to  get  back  by  the  next  homeward- 
bound  vessel  which  calls  at  the  place." 

Jim  proposed  that  we  should  smuggle  ourselves  on  board 
some  shore-boat,  but  to  this  I  would  not  agree. 

"  We  will  go  with  the  captain's  leave,"  I  answered,  "  and 
he  surely  will  not  refuse  it  now  that  he  has  no  excuse  for 
doing  so." 

I  therefore  went  up  to  him  as  soon  as  he  came  on  deck. 


The  Voyage  of  the  "  Intrepid"  begun.     163 

"  Captain  Hawkins,"  I  said,  in  as  firm  a  voice  as  I  could 
command,  "again  I  ask  you  will  you  allow  Jim  Pulley  and 
me  to  leave  your  ship  and  wait  on  shore  until  we  can  get  a 
passage  home  ?  " 

"  Peter  Trawl,  if  that's  your  name,  I  shall  do  no  such 
thing,"  he  answered.  "  If  I  find  you  attempting  to  go  on 
shore  I  shall  put  you  in  irons." 

I  knew  from  previous  experience  that  there  was  no  use  in 
expostulating.  When  I  told  the  doctor,  he  could  scarcely 
conceal  his  indignation. 

"  I  feel  inclined  to  help  you,  my  lad,  at  every  risk,"  he 
said,  "  but  we  must  be  cautious.  Wait  until  the  evening, 
and  then  we  will  see  what  can  be  done." 

I  thanked  him  heartily,  and  promised  to  follow  his  advice. 
Jim  was  ready  for  anything. 

The  doctor  said  he  would  go  on  shore  and  then  send  off 
a  boat  which  would  wait  under  the  starboard  bow,  and  that 
we  must  manage  to  slip  into  her  as  soon  as  it  was  dark. 

The  captain  in  the  meantime  had  landed,  but  returned 
very  shortly  with  four  tall  negroes,  whom  he  had  engaged 
to  pull  the  'midship  oars  in  the  whale-boats.  They  are,  I 
should  say,  first-rate  oarsmen,  and  have  a  gentle  disposition, 
ready  to  obey,  and  are  happy  under  all  circumstances. 
Besides  the  negroes,  two  boats  loaded  with  fresh  provisions 
came  alongside. 

These  were  soon  hoisted  on  board,  when  the  captain 
ordered  a  gun  to  be  fired  and  Blue  Peter  to  be  hoisted,  a 
signal  to  all  those  on  shore  to  return  immediately. 

Dr.  Cockle  and  the  third  mate,  with  the  cooper,  whom 
the  captain  thought  he  could  trust,  had  landed. 

Presently  the  captain  ordered  another  and  then  another 
gun  to  be  fired  to  hasten  them,  and  then  to  my  bitter  dis 
appointment  he  directed  Mr.  Griffiths  to  loosen  sails  and 
heave  up  the  anchor. 


164  Peter  Trawl. 

According  to  Esdale's  advice  I  had  begun  a  letter  to 
Mary,  but  had  not  had  time  to  finish  it.  Hoping  that  I 
should  not  be  missed  by  the  captain,  I  ran  below  to  add  a 
few  lines  and  then  to  close  it,  under  the  belief  that  I  should 
be  able  to  send  it  off  by  a  shore-boat.  I  had  to  get  out 
Esdale's  ink-bottle  and  pen,  which  he  had  before  lent  me ; 
the  pen  would  not  write,  so  I  had  to  search  for  his  penknife, 
and  to  try  and  mend  it  as  well  as  I  could,  but  having  little 
experience  in  the  art,  this  took  me  some  time.  I  at  last 
got  the  letter  closed  with  a  wafer,  and  directed  to  the  care 
of  Mr.  Gray,  when  I  sprang  with  it  on  deck.  Just  then  the 
eye  of  the  captain  fell  on  me. 

"  Come  a't  here,  youngster,"  he  shouted.     "  Where  have 
you  been  away  from  your  duty  ?  " 
I  had  the  letter  in  my  hand. 

"  I  wanted  to  get  this  ready  to  send  on  shore,  sir,"  I 
answered,  holding  it  up. 

"  No  excuse  for  leaving  your  station.  Take  that ! "  he 
cried,  as  he  gave  me  a  blow  on  the  side  of  the  head  with  his 
half  clenched  fist,  which  brought  me  to  the  deck,  and  nearly 
stunned  me.  When  I  recovered  myself  the  first  person  I  saw 
was  Dr.  Cockle,  who,  looking  at  me  compassionately,  said, 
"  Come  below,  Peter,  and  I'll  try  to  put  your  head  to  rights, 
for  you  seem  to  be  much  hurt.  How  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  you  now,  sir,  for  I  much  want  to  send  this 
letter  off  by  a  shore-boat,"  I  answered. 

As  I  spoke  I  observed  that  the  crew  were  hoisting  away 
and  sheeting  home  the  sails.  I  ran  to  the  side  and  jumped 
on  to  the  main  chains.  The  only  remaining  boat  was  just 
shoving  off.  I  shouted  to  the  people  in  her  to  come  and 
take  my  letter ;  but  they  did  not  understand  me,  or  did  not 
care  to  remain  alongside,  as  the  ship  was  rapidly  gathering 
way ;  another  stroke  of  their  oars  and  they  were  at  a  distance 
from  the  ship.  I  waved  and  shouted  to  them  to  come  back, 


A   CRUEL    BLOW. 


The  Voyage  of  the  "  Intrepid  "  begun.      165 

but  they  did  not  heed  me,  and  just  then  I  heard  the  captain 
calling  to  me  in  an  angry  tone  to  attend  to  my  duty.  I 
was  obliged  to  obey,  expecting  another  cuff  harder  than 
the  last ;  but  when  he  saw  me  begin  to  pull  and  haul  with 
the  rest  he  said  no  more.  Perhaps  he  observed  the  blood 
streaming  from  my  head.  The  sails  were  now  sheeted  home, 
the  yards  trimmed,  and  the  Intrepid  stood  away  from  the 
land. 

Another  opportunity  of  making  my  escape  was  lost 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

WE  CROSS  THE  LINE  AND  ATTEMPT  TO  ROUND 
CAPE  HORN. 

JIM  was  always  saying,  "Cheer  up,  Peter,  cheer  up!" 
but  it  was  a  very  hard  matter  to  be  cheery  when  I 
thought  of  the  cruel  way  in  which  I  had  been  treated,  and 
the  sorrow  my  sister  must  be  feeling  at  my  supposed  loss. 
I  tried,  as  advised,  to  keep  up  ray  spirits,  and  did  my  best 
to  obey  the  orders  I  received. 

Jim  observed  that  it  was  all  the  same  to  him.  His  friends 
would  not  grieve  much  over  his  loss,  and,  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned,  he  would  as  soon  be  chasing  whales  in  the  Pacific 
as  working  a  wherry  in  Portsmouth  Harbour. 

As  we  approached  the  line  I  found  that  the  men  were 
making  preparations  for  going  through  the  ceremony  which 
was  performed  on  boarti  most  vessels  in  those  days.  One 
of  the  boat-steerers,  Sam  Ringold,  who  stood  six  feet  four 
in  his  shoes,  and  was  proportionably  broad,  was  chosen  to 
act  the  part  of  Neptune,  and  the  cooper's  mate,  who  was  as 
wide  as  he  was  high,  that  of  his  wife.  The  armourer  took 
the  part  of  the  barber,  and  the  carpenter's  mate,  who  was 
lank  and  tall,  the  doctor. 

Three  of  the  ordinary  seamen,  the  smallest  fellows  on 
board,  were  their  attendants.  All  the  chests  were  searched 
for  the  required  dresses,  and  some  curtains  belonging  to  the 
cabin  found  their  way  forward  to  form  a  petticoat  for  Mrs. 


We  Cross  the  Line.  167 

Neptune.  Some  gold  paper  and  pasteboard  were  manufac- 
tured into  crowns,  and  some  fishes'  tails  were  ingeniously 
formed  for  the  attendants.  I  discovered  the  preparations 
going  forward,  but  was  charged  not  to  let  Horner,  or  Esdale, 
or  Jim  know  anything  about  them.  I  was  more  favoured 
than  the  rest  of  my  messmates  by  the  men,  who  seemed  to 
have  taken  a  liking  to  me;  whether  it  was  because  they 
had  heard  how  I  had  assisted  to  save  the  Good  Intent,  or 
thought  that  I  was  ill-treated  by  the  captain,  I  do  not  know, 
but  so  it  was.  No  one  ever  abused  me,  or  gave  me  the 
taste  of  a  rope's-end. 

We  had  been  sailing  on  with  light  winds  when  one  morn- 
ing, after  the  decks  had  been  washed  down  and  the  other 
duties  of  the  ship  performed,  having  run  on  for  a  short 
distance,  we  lay  almost  becalmed  with  the  sea  as  smooth  as 
a  mill-pond.  The  captain  and  his  mates  were  seen  to  be 
taking  an  observation,  and  soon  afterwards  it  became  known 
that  we  were  just  crossing  the  line. 

'•'I've  often  heard  about  it,  but  I  can't  say  I  see  any 
line,"  said  Jim. 

"  Nor  can  I !"  cried  Horner,  who  was  looking  out  eagerly. 

Presently  a  gruff  voice  was  heard,  hailing  from  forward. 

"  What  ship  is  that,  shutting  out  the  light  from  my  palace 
window?" 

" The  Intrepid''  answered  Captain  Hawkins,  who  with 
the  mates  and  doctor  were  standing  aft. 

"Then  go  ahead,  will  you,  or  I'll  indict  you  for  a 
nuisance,"  cried  the  voice,  the  remark  producing  a  general 
laugh. 

"  I  can't  think  of  standing  on  until  I  have  had  the  plea- 
sure of  a  visit  from  Daddy  Neptune,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Ay,  ay !  glad  to  hear  that.  Then  I'll  come  aboard  in  a 
jiffy  with  my  royal  missus  and  some  of  our  precious  young 
family;  and  maybe,  captain,  you'll  have  somet',inar  to  give 


1 68  Peter  Trawl. 

them,  for  they're  very  fond  of  any  hot  potions  which  may 
come  in  their  way." 

"Be  smart  about  it,  then,  Daddy,  for  I  see  a  breeze 
springing  up,  and  I  may  have  to  run  you  out  of  sight  before 
you  and  your  precious  family  have  had  time  to  take  a  sip 
apiece,"  cried  the  captain,  who  seemed  to  be  in  far  better 
humour  than  usual. 

All  this  time  Jim  and  Horner  were  standing  with  me  abaft 
the  main  hatchway,  with  their  eyes  staring  and  their  mouths 
agape,  wondering  what  was  going  to  happen. 

Presently,  over  the  bows,  appeared  the  strangest  group  I 
had  ever  set  eyes  on. 

First  there  came  Daddy  Neptune  with  a  glittering  crown, 
a  beard  of  oakum  reaching  to  his  middle,  a  girdle  of  rope 
yarn  round  his  waist,  a  cloak  covered  with  strange  devices, 
and  a  huge  trident  in  his  hand. 

His  wife  wore  a  crown  like  that  of  her  husband,  with 
ringlets  of  the  same  material  as  his  beard,  a  huge  sash  of 
some  gaily-coloured  stuff,  and  a  cloak  formed  out  of  a 
blanket.  The  barber  had  in  his  hand  a  pot  containing 
lather,  a  big  bowl  tucked  under  one  arm,  with  a  razor  a  yard 
long  and  a  shaving  brush  of  huge  size  under  the  other; 
while  the  children  or  attendant  imps — for  it  was  hard  to  say 
what  they  were — waddled  about  in  green  clothing,  looking 
like  sea  monsters,  behind  them. 

"  Well,  I  have  heard  of  strange  things,  but  these  chaps  are 
stranger  than  ever  I  saw,"  cried  Jim.  "Where  do  they 
come  from?" 

"From  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I  suppose,"  said  Horner, 
who  evidently  did  not  admire  their  looks  as  they  advanced 
aft. 

The  captain,  after  a  little  palavering,  ordered  the  steward 
to  bring  up  some  grog  and  serve  it  out  to  them.  Then 
retiring  a  short  way  forward,  Neptune  commanded  all  who 


We  Cross  the  Line.  169 

had  not  before  visited  his  dominions  to  come  and  pay  their 
respects  to  him. 

We  all  did  so,  not  feeling  very  comfortable  as  to  what  was 
to  follow,  when  his  attendants  got  hold  of  Jim  and  me. 
Homer  tried  to  escape,  but  was  quickly  captured  and 
brought  back. 

No  one  interfered  with  Esdale,  who  had,  I  found,  crossed 
Neptune's  hand  with  a  crown-piece ;  which,  of  course,  none 
of  us  were  able  to  do.  A  huge  tub  of  water  had  been  placed 
in  front  of  his  majesty.  The  barber  now  came  forward  and 
insisted  on  shaving  all  those  who  were  for  the  first  time 
crossing  the  line.  Three  of  the  ordinary  seamen  were 
novices  like  us. 

The  barber  first  lathered  our  chins  with  some  abominable 
mixture  from  his  pot,  and  then,  scraping  it  off  with  his  razor, 
finally  ducked  our  heads  into  the  tub.  Horner,  when  un- 
dergoing the  operation,  had  the  brush  several  times  thrust 
into  his  mouth,  and  his  whole  face  and  head  daubed  over. 
When  he  opened  his  mouth  to  expostulate,  in  again  went 
the  brush.  As  he  kicked  and  screamed  and  spluttered,  he 
was  treated  worse  and  worse. 

Jim,  taking  a  lesson  from  me,  kept  his  mouth  shut  I 
was  let  off  even  more  easily  than  he  was.  Once  Horner 
got  loose,  but  instead  of  wisely  remaining  on  deck  and 
holding  his  tongue,  he  ran  up  the  rigging  and  began  abusing 
Daddy  Neptune  and  his  gang,  whereupon  he  was  again 
captured  and  compelled  to  undergo  the  same  operation  as 
before. 

Blacky  the  cook  next  brought  out  his  fiddle,  and  Neptune 
and  his  party — indeed,  the  whole  crew — began  dancing 
round  and  round,  singing  and  shouting  every  now  and  then 
as  an  interlude,  catching  hold  of  the  "  green  hands "  and 
pitching  them  into  the  tub,  chase  being  always  made  after 
those  who  attempted  to  escape. 


170  Peter  Trawl. 

The  grog  circulated  so  rapidly  among  the  crew  that  they 
would  all  soon  have  been  intoxicated  had  not  the  captain, 
in  a  thundering  voice,  ordered  them  to  knock  off  and  bring 
their  tomfoolery  to  an  end. 

They  obeyed.  Neptune  and  his  followers  dived  below, 
and  presently  returned  like  stout  seamen  as  they  were. 

The  order  was  given  to  brace  the  yards  sharp  up,  and, 
with  an  easterly  wind,  we  stood  on  our  course. 

The  next  land  we  made  was  a  solitary  islet.  Near  it 
stood  a  remarkable  rock  called  the  "Ninepin,"  detached 
from  the  land.  The  doctor  told  me  that  it  is  eighteen 
hundred  feet  in  height  It  had  the  appearance  of  a  monu- 
ment standing  out  of  the  ocean.  There  are  no  inhabitants 
on  the  island,  nor  any  good  landing-place,  but  fresh  water 
is  to  be  obtained  there,  as  well  as  pigs  and  vegetables. 

We  soon  after  this  began  to  fall  in  with  stormy  weather. 
We  found  our  ship,  which  had  remarkably  sharp  ends,  very 
wet,  and  as  we  were  now  approaching  the  land  of  storms  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  with  the  days  scarcely  more  than  seven 
hours  long,  the  greatest  caution  was  deemed  necessary. 
The  royal  masts  were  sent  down  and  replaced  by  stump 
top-gallant  masts.  The  flying  jib-boom  was  sent  in  and  the 
studding-sail  booms  were  also  sent  down.  All  the  boats 
except  one  were  got  in,  the  hatches  were  battened  down, 
and  everything  was  done  to  make  the  ship  light  aloft. 

We  were  nearly  off  the  River  Plate  when  there  were 
indications  of  an  approaching  gale.  The  hitherto  blue  sky 
was  overcast,  and  the  scud  flew  rapidly  along,  as  if  impelled 
by  a  hurricane. 

"You  youngsters  will  have  to  look  out  for  yourselves 
before  long,"  said  Tom  Ringold,  the  boat-steerer,  who  had 
acted  the  part  of  Neptune.  "  We  shall  be  having  old  Harry 
Cane  aboard  here,  and  he's  a  precious  deal  more  difficult  to 
tackle  than  Daddy  Neptune,  who  paid  us  a  visit  on  the  line." 


We  Cross  the  Line.  171 

" Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear  !  I  wonder  what  we  shall  do? "  cried 
Horner,  who  did  not  exactly  understand  what  was  going  to 
happen. 

"  Why,  hold  on  to  the  weather-rigging,  if  you  haven't  to 
be  pulling  and  hauling,  and  duck  your  head  if  you  see  a  sea 
coming,"  answered  Jim,  who  understood  the  joke  about 
Harry  Cane. 

In  a  short  time  the  captain  ordered  the  topsails  to  be 
reefed  and  the  mainsail  to  be  stowed  and  all  the  lighter  sails 
handed.  Jim  and  I  were  sent  aloft  to  the  foretop  gallant 
sailyard  to  furl  the  sail.  We  were  laying  out  when,  to  my 
horror,  I  saw  Jim  disappear.  I  nearly  fell  from  the  yard 
myself,  from  thinking  that  he  would  be  dashed  to  pieces, 
and  that  I  should  lose  my  staunchest  friend. 

"  Jim  !  Jim  !  Oh,  save  him  !  save  him  ! "  I  shouted  out, 
not  knowing  what  I  was  saying,  or  considering  how  useless 
it  was  to  shout. 

"  Here  I  am  all  right,  Peter/'  cried  Jim,  and  his  voice 
seemed  to  come  not  far  from  me. 

What  was  my  joy  to  discover  that  he  had  been  caught 
in  the  belly  of  the  sail,  and  there  he  lay  as  if  he  had  been 
in  a  hammock,  the  reef  tackle  having  been  hauled  out  just 
at  the  time  he  fell.  He  quickly  scrambled  on  to  the  yard 
again,  resuming  his  duty  as  if  nothing  particular  had  occurred. 
We  having  finished  our  work  came  down.  Scarcely  was 
this  done  when  the  gale  struck  us,  taking  us  right  aback. 
The  cabin  dead-lights  not  being  properly  secured,  the  cabin 
was  nearly  filled  with  water.  The  carpenter  and  his  mates 
hurried  aft  to  close  them,  and  we  youngsters  were  sent  below 
to  help  him,  and  put  things  to  rights. 

When  this  was  done  down  came  the  rain  in  such  torrents 
that  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  swamp  the  ship,  while  as  she 
fell  off  into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  she  began  to  roll  in  away 
which  threatened  every  instant  to  shake  the  masts  out  of 


172  Peter  Trawl. 

her.  It  seemed  wonderful  that  they  stood  Had  the  rigging 
not  been  well  set  up  they  must  have  gone.  The  only  acci- 
dent I  have  to  mention  was  that  one  of  our  remaining  pigs 
was  killed,  but  this  did  not  grieve  the  crew,  for  as  we  had 
no  salt  on  board,  and  the  meat  would  not  keep,  the  portion 
not  required  for  the  cabin  was  served  out  to  us. 

Another,  and  what  might  have  proved  a  far  more  serious 
matter,  occurred.  Tom  Ringold  was  steering,  when  a  sea 
striking  the  rudder  with  tremendous  force  knocked  him  over 
the  wheel,  carrying  away  several  of  the  b*ass  spokes  as  it 
flew  round,  and  sent  him  against  the  bulwarks.  For  a 
moment  everyone  thought  he  was  killed,  but  he  picked 
himself  up,  and  although  he  could  not  use  his  arm  for  two 
or  three  days,  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  able  to  do  his 
duty  as  well  as  ever. 

That  storm  soon  came  to  an  end,  but  the  old  hands  told 
us  that  we  might  look  out  for  others,  and  so  the  captain 
seemed  to  think,  for  although  he  was*  anxious  to  get  round 
Cape  Horn  we  were  always  under  snug  canvas  at  night,  and 
during  the  day  a  bright  look-out  was  kept,  lest  one  of  those 
sudden  squalls  called  Pamperos  might  come  off  the  land  and 
whip  the  masts  out  of  the  ship,  or  lay  her  on  her  beam-ends, 
as  frequently  happens  when  the  hands  are  not  ready  to 
shorten  sail.  We,  however,  got  to  the  southward  of  the 
Falkland  Islands  without  accident. 

My  poor  friend  and  messmate  Esdale  severely  felt  the  cold 
which  we  now  began  to  experience.  He  came  on  deck  to 
attend  to  his  duty,  but  a  hacking  cough  and  increasing 
weakness  made  him  very  unfit  for  it.  The  doctor  at  last 
insisted  on  his  remaining  below,  although  Esdale  declared 
that  he  would  rather  be  on  deck  and  try  to  do  his  best. 

"  But  I  insist  on  your  remaining  in  your  bunk  until  we 
round  Cape  Horn  and  reach  a  warmer  latitude,"  said  Dr. 
Cockle.  "  I  will  see  the  captain,  and  tell  him  plainly  that 


We  Cross  the  Line. 

he  will  be  answerable  for  your  death,  should  he  insist  on 
your  doing  duty  any  longer." 

Esdale  still  pleaded,  but  the  doctor  was  peremptory. 

"It  is  his  only  chance,"  he  said  to  me;  "I  cannot 
promise  that  he  will  live.  He  will,  however,  certainly  die 
if  he  is  exposed  to  this  biting  wind  and  constant  rain.  I 
intend  to  tell  the  captain,  but  you,  Trawl,  go  and  stay  with 
him  whenever  you  can ;  it  will  cheer  him  up,  poor  fellow, 
to  have  someone  to  talk  to,  and  that  dull  Homer  cannot 
speak  two  wortis  of  sense." 

Before  the  doctor  had  time  to  do  as  he  proposed,  Captain 
Hawkins,  missing  Esdale  from  the  deck,  ordered  me  to  tell 
him  to  come  up. 

This  I  determined  not  to  do,  for  it  was  blowing  hard  at 
the  time  from  the  south-west  and  the  wind  would  have  chilled 
him  through  in  a  minute.  I,  however,  went  below,  and 
after  remaining  a  little  time,  I  returned,  and  said, 

"  Esdale  is  very  ill,  sir,  and  is  not  fit  to  come  on  deck." 

"  How  do  you  know  that,  youngster?  "  asked  the  captain, 
in  an  angry  tone. 

"  Dr.  Cockle  has  seen  him  and  says  so,"  I  answered 
boldly. 

"  Tell  him  to  come  up,  or  I'll  send  a  couple  of  hands  to 
bring  him  neck  and  crop,"  thundered  the  captain. 

I  was  as  determined  as  before  not  to  tell  Esdale,  knowing 
that  he  would  come  if  sent  for. 

"  Go  below  and  bring  up  that  lazy  young  rascal,"  shouted 
the  captain  to  Tom  Ringold  and  another  man  standing  near 
him. 

I  immediately  dived  below  to  persuade  Tom  to  let  Esdale 
remain  in  his  bunk. 

"  It  will  be  his  death  if  he  is  exposed  to  this  weather,"  I 
said. 

"  I  am  not  the  fellow  to  kill  a  shipmate  if  I  can  help  it," 


1 74  Peter   Trawl. 

answered  Tom.  "  Tell  him  to  stay  and  I'll  take  the  conse- 
quences." 

When  Tom  returned  on  deck,  the  captain  enquired  in  a 
fierce  voice  why  he  had  not  carried  out  his  orders. 

"  Because  he  is  too  ill  to  be  moved,  Captain  Hawkins," 
answered  Tom,  promptly. 

The  captain,  uttering  an  oath,  and  taking  a  coil  of  rope  in 
his  hand,  was  just  about  to  go  below  when  Doctor  Cockle 
came  on  deck,  and  guessing,  from  the  few  words  he  heard, 
what  was  the  captain's  intention,  came  up  to  him  and 
said, 

"  It  would  kill  the  lad  to  bring  him  up,  and  as  he  is  my 
patient,  I  have  told  him  to  stay  below  " 

"Am  I  to  be  thwarted  and  insulted  on  board  my  own 
ship?"  cried  the  captain.  "  Whether  he  is  ill  or  well,  up  he 
comes." 

And  going  down  to  the  half  deck,  he  asked  Esdale  why 
he  had  not  obeyed  his  orders. 

Esdale,  of  course,  had  not  received  them,  and  said  so, 
beginning  at  the  same  time  to  dress.  Before,  however,  he 
could  finish  putting  on  his  clothes  the  captain  seized  him  by 
the  arm  and  dragged  him  up.  Scarcely,  however,  had  he 
reached  the  deck  when  the  poor  fellow  fainted  right  away. 
Tom,  on  seeing  this,  lifted  him  in  his  arms  and  carried  him 
down  again. 

"  I  warn  you,  Captain  Hawkins,  that  you  will  cause  the 
death  of  the  lad  if  you  compel  him  to  be  on  deck  in  this 
weather,"  said  the  doctor  firmly,  as  he  turned  to  follow  Tom 
and  Esdale. 

The  captain,  making  no  remark,  walked  aft,  and  did  not 
again  interfere. 

Whether  that  sudden  exposure  to  the  cold  had  any  serious 
effect  I  do  not  know,  but  Esdale  after  this  got  worse  and 
worse.  Whenever  I  could  I  went  and  sat  by  his  side,  when 


We  Cross  the  Line.  175 

he  used  to  talk  to  me  of  the  happy  land  for  which  he  was 
bound.  He  did  not  seem  even  to  wish  to  live,  and  yet  he 
was  as  cheerful  as  anyone  on  board.  The  doctor  and  first 
mate  used  also  to  come  and  talk  to  him,  and  he  spoke  to 
them  as  he  did  to  me,  and  urged  them  to  put  their  trust 
where  he  was  putting  his.  I  believe  that  his  exhortations 
had  a  beneficial  influence  on  them,  as  they  had  on  me. 
When  I  said  how  I  hoped  that  he  would  get  better  after 
we  were  round  the  Cape,  he  answered, 

"  I  shall  never  see  the  Horn,  Peter ;  I  am  as  sure  of  that 
as  I  can  be  of  anything." 

Two  days  after  this  land  was  sighted  on  the  starboard 
bow.  It  proved  to  be  Staten  Island ;  but  scarcely  were  we 
to  the  south  of  it  when  we  encountered  a  furious  gale  blow- 
ing from  the  westward. 

For  two  days,  by  keeping  close  hauled,  the  captain  endea- 
voured to  gain  ground  to  the  westward,  resolved,  as  he 
declared,  "  to  thrash  the  ship  round  the  Cape."  On  the 
third  day,  however,  while  I  was  on  deck,  a  tremendous  sea 
came  rolling  up. 

"  Look  out !  Hold  on  for  your  lives,  lads  !"  shouted  the 
first  mate. 

Every  one  clung  to  whatever  was  nearest  to  him.  One 
poor  fellow  was  to  leeward.  There  was  no  avoiding  the 
sea,  which,  like  a  mountain  topped  with  foam,  struck  the 
bows.  The  ship  plunged  into  it,  and  for  a  few  seconds 
I  thought  would  never  rise  again.  On  swept  the  roaring 
torrent,  deluging  the  deck ;  and  had  not  the  hatches  been 
battened  down,  would  have  half  filled  her. 

A  loud,  crashing  sound  followed,  and  when  the  water  had 
passed  over  us  nearly  all  the  lee  bulwarks  were  gone,  and 
with  them  our  shipmate  who  had  been  standing  a  minute  be- 
fore as  full  of  life  as  any  of  us.  He  was  not  again  seen,  and 
must  have  gone  down  at  once. 


176  Peter  Trawl. 

The  captain  was  compelled  at  last  to  heave  the  ship  to, 
and  there  we  lay,  now  rising  to  the  top  of  a  sea,  now  sinking 
into  the  trough,  with  walls  of  water,  half  as  high  as  the  main- 
top, round  us.  The  seas  in  the  German  Ocean  and  Bay  ot 
Biscay  were  nothing  to  be  compared  to  those  we  encountered 
off  the  Horn,  though,  perhaps,  equally  dangerous. 

As  soon  as  I  went  below,  I  hurried  to  the  side  of  Esdale. 
He  asked  what  had  happened.  I  told  him. 

"Some  one  was  carried  overboard?"  he  inquired. 

"  Yes,"  I  said.  "  Poor  Jack  Norris,"  wondering  how  he 
knew  it. 

"  And  I  shall  soon  follow  him,"  he  replied. 

His  words  proved  true.  That  very  night,  as  I  came  off 
my  watch  and  was  about  to  turn  in,  I  heard  my  messmate 
utter  my  name  in  a  low  voice.  I  went  to  him. 

"  I'm  going,"  he  whispered.  "  Good-bye,  Peter ;  "  you'll 
remember  what  I  have  said  to  you  ?" 

I  promised  him  I  would,  and  told  him  I  must  run  and 
call  the  doctor. 

"  No,  stay,"  he  said.  "  He  can  do  me  no  good.  Tell 
him  I  thank  him  for  his  kindness.  Good-bye,  Peter." 

The  next  instant  his  hand  relaxed  its  hold  of  mine,  and 
stooping  down  over  him  I  found  he  had  ceased  to 
breathe. 

So  died  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  excellent  young  men 
I  have  ever  met.  The  next  morning  he  was  sewn  up  in  canvas, 
with  a  shot  at  his  feet,  and  brought  on  deck.  The  captain 
stood  aft  watching  the  proceedings.  Whether  he  felt  he  had 
hastened  Esdale's  death  I  know  not ;  but  his  countenance 
was  stern  and  gloomy  as  night.  The  boldest  seaman  on 
board  would  not  have  dared  just  then  to  speak  to  him. 
Hail  and  sleet  were  driving  in  our  faces;  a  furious  gale 
threatening  to  carry  our  only  sail  out  of  the  bolt-ropes  was 
blowing ;  the  mountain  seas  ra^ed  round  us  ;  there  was 


We  Cross  the  Line.  177 

scarce  time  for  a  prayer,  none  for  form  or  ceremony.  A 
foaming  billow  came  thundering  against  the  bows  ;  over  the 
deck  it  swept.  We  clung  for  our  lives  to  ropes,  stanchions, 
and  ring-bolts.  When  it  had  passed  we  found  that  it  had 
borne  our  young  shipmate  to  his  ocean  grave. 


12 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
ROUNDING  CAPE  HORN. 

FOR  well-nigh  six  weeks  we  were  endeavouring  to  get 
round  Cape  Horn,  when  the  weather  moderated, 
making  way  to  the  westward,  but  again  being  driven  back 
often  over  more  ground  than  we  had  gained. 

The  captain  was  constantly  on  deck,  exhibiting  on  all 
occasions  his  splendid  seamanship.  He  was  ever  on  the 
look  out  to  take  advantage  of  the  least  change  of  wind  which 
would  enable  us  to  lay  our  course.  Day  and  night  were 
alike  to  him  ;  he  seemed  indifferent  to  the  piercing  wind  and 
tremendous  storms  of  sleet  and  hail  we  encountered.  Twice 
we  sighted  Cape  Horn,  but  each  time,  before  many  hours 
had  passed,  were  again  to  the  eastward  of  it  The  captain 
thought  he  could  endure  anything,  and  certainly  did  not 
expose  others  more  than  he  did  himself.  We  saw  numerous 
sea  birds — albatrosses,  Cape  pigeons,  stormy-petrels  (or 
Mother  Carey's  chickens,  as  they  are  called),  and  many 
more.  The  albatross  appeared  to  me  a  truly  noble  bird 
when  on  the  wing ;  no  matter  how  rough  the  weather  or  how 
heavy  the  sea,  he  sat  on  the  water  perfectly  at  ease,  seeming 
to  defy  the  very  elements. 

One  of  the  mates  having  got  a  strong  line  with  a  large 
hook  at  the  end  of  it,  a  piece  of  meat  as  bait,  and  a  cork  to 
float  it,  let  it  drop  astern.  In  an  instant  a  huge  albatross 
pounced  down  on  the  tempting  bait,  and  was  hooked.  It 


Rounding  Cape  Horn.  179 

required  two  men,  however,  to  draw  him  on  board  over  the 
taffrail.  Even  when  brought  on  deck  he  attacked  everyone 
who  came  near  him.  The  doctor  advised  us  to  stand  clear 
of  his  wings  and  beak,  but  Homer  thoughtlessly  held  out  his 
hat,  when  the  bird,  seizing  hold  of  it,  bit  the  crown  clean  out 
in  a  moment.  Not  until  he  had  had  several  blows  on  the 
head  with  a  handspike  did  he  drop  dead.  He  measured  seven- 
teen feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  wings.  The  feathers  under  his 
wings  and  breast  were  as  white  as  snow,  and  as  they  glanced 
in  the  sunlight,  shone  like  silver. 

In  contrast  with  the  albatross  was  the  stormy-petrel,  a 
black  bird  scarcely  larger  than  a  sparrow,  and,  of  course,  web- 
footed.  Vast  numbers  flew  about  the  ship,  but  they  were 
more  difficult  to  catch  than  the  albatrosses. 

Again  we  sighted  Cape  Horn,  standing  out  solitary  and 
grand  into  the  Southern  Ocean.  The  wind  had  moderated 
and  become  more  in  our  favour,  although  the  vast  billows 
rolled  on  like  moving  mountains  of  water.  Now  the  ship 
forced  her  way  to  the  summit  of  one,  the  next  instant  to 
glide  down  rapidly  into  the  vale  below,  performing  the  same 
course  again  and  again. 

At  length  even  the  billows  subsided,  and  we  began  to  look 
forward  to  having  fine  weather.  About  noon  one  day  the 
look-out  from  the  masthead  shouted, 

"  There  she  spouts  !  there  she  spouts  !" 

A  school  of  whales  was  in  sight. 

"  Lower  two  boats,"  cried  the  captain. 

No  sooner  was  the  order  given  than  their  crews,  hurrying 
aft,  jumped  into  them,  and  very  few  minutes  were  sufficient 
to  place  all  their  gear  in  readiness  and  to  lower  them  into 
the  water. 

The  captain  himself  went  in  one  as  harpooner,  the  second 
mate  in  the  other.  I  should  have  liked  to  go,  but  I  knew 
that  it  was  useless  to  ask  leave  of  the  captain. 


i8o  Peter  Trawl. 

Away  the  boats  pulled  at  a  rapid  rate  to  windward,  the 
direction  in  which  the  whales  had  been  seen,  and  that 
we  might  keep  as  near  them  as  possible  the  ship  was  hauled 
close  up.  They  were  soon  not  discernible  from  the  deck, 
and  on  they  went  increasing  their  distance  till  even  the  look- 
out from  the  masthead  could  no  longer  distinguish  them. 
Still  the  first  mate  had  carefully  noted  the  direction  they  had 
taken,  and  seemed  to  have  no  doubt  about  picking  them  up. 
The  weather,  however,  which  had  been  fine  all  day,  now 
gave  signs  of  changing,  and  in  a  short  time  the  wind  began 
to  blow  in  strong  gusts,  creating  a  nasty  sea,  but  still  it  was 
not  worse  than  whale-boats  have  often  to  encounter. 

Whether  or  not  they  had  succeeded  in  striking  a  fish  we 
could  not  tell,  for  the  days  were  very  short,  and  evening 
drew  on. 

Fresh  look-outs  were  sent  to  each  of  the  mastheads,  and 
we  waited  with  anxiety  for  their  reports.  They  soon  hailed 
that  they  could  see  neither  of  the  boats.  At  length,  the 
darkness '  increasing,  they  were  called  down,  and  lanterns 
were  got  ready  to  show  the  position  of  the  ship. 

"  Shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  were  to  lose  our  skipper  and 
the  boats'  crews,"  said  Horner  to  me.  "  I've  heard  that  such 
accidents  have  happened  before  now." 

"  I  hope  not,"  I  answered,  "  for  although  our  captain  is  a 
severe  man,  it  would  be  dreadful  to  have  him  and  the  other 
poor  fellows  lost  out  in  this  stormy  ocean,  with  no  land  for 
hundreds  of  miles  where  they  could  find  food  and  shelter, 
even  were  they  to  reach  it" 

While  we  were  speaking  a  heavy  squall  struck  the  ship, 
and  the  remaining  hands  were  ordered  aloft  to  take  two  reefs 
in  the  topsails.  Jim  and  I  were  on  the  foreyardarm.  We 
had  just  finished  our  task,  when  Jim  declared  that  he  saw  a 
light  away  to  windward. 

On  coming  on  deck  we  told  Mr.  Griffiths.     He  at  once 


Rounding  Cape  Horn.  181 

ordered  a  gun  to  be  fired  as  a  signal.  A  blue  light  was  then 
burnt,  the  glare  of  which,  as  it  fell  on  our  figures,  gave  us  all 
so  ghastly  an  appearance  that  Horner,  who  had  never  seen 
one  before,  cried  out,  "  What  has  come  over  you  fellows  ?  Is 
anything  dreadful  going  to  happen?" 

As  the  firework  died  out  we  looked  in  the  direction  Jim 
had  seen  the  light,  and  in  a  little  time  we  caught  sight  of  it 
from  the  deck.  The  men  on  this  gave  a  hearty  cheer  to  show 
their  satisfaction.  Now  the  light  disappeared,  now  it  came 
in  sight  again,  as  the  boat  rose  on  the  summit  of  a  sea. 

The  ship  was  hove  to.  Presently  a  faint  hail  was  heard. 
We  answered  it  with  a  shout  from  our  united  voices.  At 
length  one  boat  could  be  distinguished.  Where  was  the 
other? 

The  captain's  voice  assured  us  that  he  was  in  the  first 
He  was  soon  on  deck,  and  the  boat  was  hoisted  up.  He 
looked  pale  and  haggard,  and  much  annoyed  at  not  having 
killed  a  whale.  The  other  boat  he  said  was  not  far  ofE 

We  kept  hove  to  for  her,  fearing  that  if  she  did  not  soon 
appear  she  might  be  swamped  before  she  could  be  hoisted 
in,  for  as  the  wind  and  sea  were  now  rapidly  rising  every 
moment  was  of  importance.  At  length  she  came  alongside, 
but  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  men  got  out  of 
her.  They  looked  thoroughly  worn  out  with  their  long  pull. 
We  had  scarcely  made  sail  again  and  were  standing  on  our 
course  when  the  gale  came  down  on  us,  more  furiously  than 
before,  blowing  right  in  our  teeth.  It  was  now  evident  that 
had  a  whale  been  killed  we  should  have  been  compelled  to 
abandon  it. 

In  spite  of  his  fatigue  the  captain  remained  on  deck,  swear 
ing  fearfully  at  his  ill-luck.  Those  who  had  been  away  with 
the  boats  were  allowed  to  turn  in,  but  the  rest  of  us  were 
kept  on  deck,  for  at  any  moment  all  our  strength  might  be 
required. 


1 82  Ptler  Trawl. 

Suddenly,  while  I  was  aft,  the  captain  uttered  a  loud  cry, 
or  shriek  it  seemed  to  me. 

"What's  the  matter,  sir?"  asked  the  mate. 

"I  cannot  see !"  groaned  the  captain.  "Where  am  I? 
What  has  happened  ?" 

The  mate  went  to  him  and  took  his  arm.  "  It  may  be  but 
for  a  moment,"  he  said. 

There  had  been  no  lightning ;  nothing,  as  far  as  we  could 
discover,  to  produce  blindness.  Still  the  captain  refused  to 
leave  the  deck,  declaring  that  it  would  pass  over.  The 
doctor,  who  had  turned  in,  was  called  up,  and  came  to  him. 

The  increasing  gale  compelled  the  mate  to  attend  to  the 
duties  of  the  ship.  The  doctor  summoned  me  to  assist  in 
leading  the  captain  below.  I  took  his  arm ;  he  was  trem- 
bling like  an  aspen.  We  led  him  to  his  berth,  and  assisted 
him  to  undress. 

"  Shall  I  be  better  in  the  morning,  think  you,  doctor?"  he 
asked,  in  an  agitated  tone. 

"I  cannot  say,  Captain  Hawkins.  I  believe  that  this 
blindness  has  come  on  in  consequence  of  your  having  over- 
taxed your  physical  powers.  In  course  of  time,  with  rest  and 
a  warmer  climate,  I  trust  that  you  will  recover  your  sight." 

"  Oh  that  it  may  be  so  !"  cried  the  captain,  as  he  laid  his 
head  on  the  pillow. 

We  had  a  heavier  gale  that  night  than  we  had  before 
encountered.  The  seas  again  and  again  washed  over  the 
deck.  It  seemed  wonderful  that  more  of  the  men  did  not 
knock  up. 

The  first  mate  looked  thin  and  haggard,  and  so  did  most 
of  the  other  officers  and  men.  The  bulwarks  on  both  sides 
had  been  carried  away,  two  of  the  boats  had  been  injured, 
and  the  ship  had  suffered  various  other  damages. 

Still  we  kept  at  it;  the  wind  shifted;  Cape  Horn  was 
actually  weathered,  and  at  length  a  joyous  cheer  burst  from 


Rounding  Cape  Horn.  183 

the  throats  of  the  crew  as  the  ship's  head  was  directed  to  the 
north-west.  It  was  some  days,  however,  before  we  felt  any 
sensible  change  of  climate,  but  after  that  it  grew  warmer 
and  warmer,  for  we  were  now  fairly  in  the  Pacific. 

The  captain  was  disappointed  in  his  expectations  of  re- 
covering his  sight.  He  came  daily  on  deck  and  stood 
turning  his  head  round  in  every  direction,  and  I  observed 
a  painful  expression  on  his  countenance. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Peter,  I've  a  notion  how  the  captain 
came  to  lose  his  sight,"  said  Horner  to  me  in  a  confidential 
tone.  "  It's  a  punishment  to  him  for  the  way  he  treated 
Esdale,  and  you,  and  Jim." 

"  We  have  no  right  to  think  that,"  I  answered ;  "  even  if 
he  had  treated  me  ten  times  worse  than  he  has  done,  I 
should  not  wish  him  to  suffer  what  must  be  to  a  man  of 
his  nature  so  terrible  a  misfortune." 

"  Well,  then,  I  suppose  I  must  keep  my  opinion  to  my- 
self," answered  Horner. 

In  a  few  days  we  reached  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez, 
and  hove  to  off  it  that  the  boats  might  go  in  close  to  the  shore 
to  catch  some  fish.  Mr.  Griffiths  gave  Jim  and  me  leave  to 
go  in  one  of  them.  We  were  provided  with  hooks  and  lines. 
The  water  was  so  clear  that  we  could  see  the  fish  take  the 
bait,  which  they  did  so  ravenously,  that  in  a  short  time  we 
had  as  many  rock  cod  and  other  fish  as  we  required.  We 
afterwards  landed  and  brought  off  a  quantity  of  wild  mint, 
which  grows  in  profusion  over  the  island.  We  made  it  into 
tea,  which  we  enjoyed  very  much  after  drinking  pea-coffee  so 
long. 

While  we  were  collecting  the  mint  we  saw  a  number  of 
goats  bounding  among  the  rocks,  some  standing  still  and  look- 
ing down  on  us.  They  were  descendants  of  those  which  in- 
habited the  island  in  the  days  of  Alexander  Selkirk,  who  was 
taken  off  by  Dampier  during  his  last  voyage  to  the  Pacific. 


184  Peter  Trawl. 

At  first  we  thought  that  there  were  no  inhabitants,  but  just 
as  we  were  shoving  off  we  heard  a  shout,  and  a  white  man 
and  negro  were  seen  rushing  down  towards  us,  shouting  and 
gesticulating  furiously. 

They  were  both  dressed  in  skins,  with  high  fur  caps,  and 
had  long  sticks  in  their  hands  to  help  themselves  as  they 
ran. 

"  Why,  I  do  believe  that  must  be  Robinson  Crusoe  and 
his  man  Friday,"  cried  Horner,  at  which  all  hands 
laughed. 

"  He  got  home  long  ago,  or  he  never  could  have  written 
his  history,  stupid,"  said  the  mate,  "  but  whoever  they  are 
we'll  wait  for  them." 

Still  Horner  had  not  got  his  first  idea  out  of  his  head.  He 
had  not  read  much,  but  he  had  read  Robinson  Crusoe,  and 
believed  in  it  as  a  veracious  history. 

The  strangers  soon  reached  the  boat 

"Now,  I  say,  ain't  you  Robinson  Crusoe?"  cried  Horner, 
as  the  white  man  got  up  to  the  boat 

"  No,  my  name  is  Miles  Soper,  and  I  know  nothing  of  the 
chap  you  speak  of,"  answered  the  stranger. 

"  I  say,  mister,"  he  continued,  turning  to  the  mate,  "  will 
you  take  us  poor  fellows  off?  We  were  cast  ashore  some  six 
months  ago  or  more,  and  are  the  only  people  out  of  our 
ship,  which  went  down  off  there,  who  saved  their  lives,  as  far 
as  I  can  tell.  Sam  Cole  here  and  I  came  ashore  on  a  bit  of 
a  raft,  and  we  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it  since  then." 

"Why,  as  to  that,  my  man,  if  you're  willing  to  enter  and 
serve  aboard  our  ship,  I  daresay  the  captain  will  take  you, 
but  he  doesn't  want  idlers." 

"  Beggars  can't  be  choosers,"  answered  Miles  Soper.  "  If 
you  are  willing  to  take  us  we  shall  be  glad  to  go,  and  both 
Sam  and  I  are  able  seamen." 

"Well,  jump  in,  my  lads,"  said  the  mate;  "but  haven't 


Rounding  Cape  Horn.  185 

you  anything  at  the  place  where  you  have  lived  so  long  to 
bring  away?" 

"  No,  we've  nothing  but  the  clothes  we  stand  up  in, 
except  it  may  be  a  few  wooden  bowls  and  such  like  things," 
answered  the  s  -anger,  who  looked  hard  at  the  mate  as  he 
spoke,  probably  suspecting  that  we  might  pull  off,  and  that 
he  and  his  chum  might  be  left  behind.  Both  the  men 
seemed  in  tolerably  good  condition.  They  told  us  that  they 
had  had  abundance  of  goat's  flesh  and  vegetables,  as  well  as 
fruit,  but  that  they  had  got  tired  of  the  life,  and  had  had  a 
quarrel  with  four  mongrel  Spaniards,  who  lived  on  another 
part  of  the  island,  whom  they  thought  might  some  day  try 
to  murder  them. 

They  both  asked  to  take  an  oar,  and,  by  the  way  they 
pulled,  they  showed  that  they  were  likely  to  be  useful  hands. 
When  we  got  on  board  the  Intrepid,  Mr.  Griffiths  spoke  very 
kindly  to  them,  and  as  they  at  once  said  that  they  would  be 
glad  to  enter,  their  names  were  put  down  as  belonging  to  the 
crew. 

I  took  a  liking  from  the  first  to  Miles  Soper,  though  he 
was  perfectly  uneducated,  and  could  neither  read  nor  write. 
Sam  also  seemed  an  honest  merry  fellow.  He  and  the  other 
Africans  soon  became  friends. 

The  crew  had  been  employed  on  the  passage,  whenever 
the  weather  permitted,  in  preparing  what  is  called  the  "  cut- 
ting in  gear,"  which  consists  of  the  various  tackles  and  ropes 
for  securing  the  whales  alongside  when  caught  and  taking  off 
the  blubber.  Then  there  was  the  gear  of  the  various  boats, 
and  it  would  astonish  anyone  to  see  the  enormous  number 
of  articles  stowed  away  in  a  whale-boat  when  she  starts  after 
a  whale. 

Everything  was  now  got  ready,  as  we  were  in  expectation 
every  day  of  falling  in  with  whales,  and  the  men  were  on  the 
look-out  from  the  mastheads  from  dawn  until  dark,  in  the 


1 86  Peter  Trawl. 

hopes  of  seeing  them.  I  longed  to  see  a  whale  caught,  for 
as  yet  the  voyage  had  been  profitless,  and  every  one  was  out 
of  spirits.  The  captain,  who  still  remained  perfectly  blind, 
notwithstanding  the  assurances  of  Dr.  Cockle  that  he  would 
recover,  was  so  especially.  He  seemed  like  a  heartbroken 
man  ;  his  countenance  gloomy,  as  if  tioubled  with  melancholy 
thoughts,  and  his  whole  manner  and  appearance  were 
changed.  It  was  sad  to  see  him  come  on  deck  and  stand, 
sometimes  for  an  hour  together,  turning  his  face  round,  as 
if  he  were  picturing  to  himself  the  sparkling  ocean,  the  blue 
sky  overhead,  and  the  busy  scene  which  the  deck  of  his  ship 
presented. 

I  observed  that  Mr.  Griffiths  never  gave  an  order  if  he 
could  help  it  while  the  blind  captain  was  on  deck.  The 
health  of  the  latter,  however,  by  degrees  improved,  the 
colour  returned  to  his  cheeks,  and  his  voice,  when  he  spoke, 
again  had  the  ring  in  it  which  I  had  from  the  first  remarked. 

Day  after  day,  however,  we  sailed  on  without  seeing  a 
whale.  At  length  one  day,  soon  after  noon,  the  first  mate 
having  just  taken  an  observation,  and  the  captain  being  in 
his  cabin,  we  were  cheered  by  the  cry  from  the  masthead 
of— 

"  There  she  spouts  !    There  she  spouts!" 

The  loud  tramping  of  the  men  on  deck  roused  those 
below,  who  quickly  sprang  up,  eager  to  engage  in  the 
expected  chase. 

Among  the  first  who  appeared  was  the  captain,  who  ran 
up  the  companion-ladder  with  as  much  agility  as  he  had 
ever  displayed. 

"Where  away — where  away?"  he  asked. 

The  men  pointed  to  windward,  and  to  our  surprise  the 
captain  turned  his  eyes  in  the  same  direction. 

"  Lower  three  boats,"  he  shouted  "  I'll  go  in  one  of 
them." 


Rounding  Cape.  Horn.  187 

Presently  I  saw  a  low,  bush-like  spout  of  white  mist  rise 
from  the  surface  of  the  sea,  not  two  miles  off. 

"  There  she  spouts  !  There  she  spouts  ! "  shouted  the 
captain,  showing  that  he  saw  too. 

With  wonderful  rapidity,  as  everything  was  prepared,  the 
boats  were  lowered.  The  doctor  had  come  on  deck. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Captain  Hawkins  ?  "  he  asked,  in 
an  astonished  tone. 

"  In  chase  of  those  whales  out  there,"  answered  the  cap- 
tain ;  "  for,  doctor,  I  can  see  them  as  well  as  you  do." 

Of  this  there  could  be  no  doubt.  Several  at  that  instant 
appeared  at  various  distances. 

The  excitement  of  the  moment  had  given  the  required 
stimulus  to  the  captain's  nerves,  and  he  was  restored  to  sight. 

I  remembered  the  fruitless  chase  off  Cape  Horn,  when 
the  captain  and  those  with  him  so  nearly  lost  their  lives,  but 
this  promised  to  be  successful.  The  captain's  boat  took  the 
lead.  His  aim  was  to  get  up  to  one  of  the  monsters  of  the 
deep  just  as  it  returned  to  the  surface  for  breathing,  as  it 
would  be  some  time  before  it  could  go  down  again,  and 
before  that  interval  many  a  harpoon  and  lance  might  be 
plunged  into  its  body. 

The  captain  soon  took  the  lead;  the  men  pulled  as  if 
their  lives  depended  on  it  Before  they  were  half  a  mile 
away  a  whale  rose  just  ahead  of  the  captain's  boat.  Spring- 
ing into  the  bows,  he  stood,  harpoon  in  hand,  ready  to  strike. 

Presently  he  was  close  up  to  the  monster;  the  weapon 
flew  from  his  grasp,  followed  by  three  lances  hurled  in  rapid 
succession.  The  whale,  feeling  the  pain,  darted  off. 
Another  boat  came  up,  and  a  second  harpoon  was  made 
fast,  while  several  more  lances  were  plunged  into  its  side. 

Presently  its  enormous  flukes  rose  in  the  air. 

"  He  has  sounded  1  he  has  sounded ! "  cried  those  on 
board. 


1 88  Peter  Trawl. 

The  whale  had  dived,  and  the  lines  coiled  away  in  the 
tubs  ran  rapidly  out.  The  monster,  however,  had  not 
finished  its  breathing,  and  soon  after  a  second  line  had  been 
secured  to  the  first  it  came  again  to  the  surface.  The  boats 
pulled  rapidly  towards  it,  and  the  harpooners  plied  it  with 
their  lances.  Presently  we  saw  them  pull  away  as  if  for  their 
lives.  The  whale  rose  nearly  out  of  the  water,  and  began 
turning  round  and  lashing  the  surface  with  its  flukes,  each 
blow  being  sufficient  to  destroy  any  boat  and  her  crew  within 
its  reach. 

"  The  monster  is  in  its  flurry,"  I  heard  the  doctor  say. 
"  It  is  ours  to  a  certainty." 

He  was  right.  After  lashing  the  water  into  a  mass  of 
blood-tinged  foam,  it  lay  perfectly  still. 

Those  on  board  raised  a  shout  as  they  saw  a  little  flag 
fixed  on  the  body. 

The  boats  now  made  chase  after  another  whale,  which 
gave  them  more  trouble  than  the  first;  but  they  attacked  it 
bravely,  now  pulling  up  and  hurling  harpoons  and  lances 
into  it,  and  now  pulling  away  to  avoid  being  attacked  in 
return. 

Presently  we  saw  one  boat  again  dash  forward,  almost 
the  next  instant  its  fragments  rose  in  the  air,  and  the  crew 
were  scattered  far  and  wide  around.  Which  boat  it  was 
we  could  not  tell.  Some  fancied  it  was  the  captain's, 
others  that  it  was  the  second  mate's. 

"He regained  his  sight  to-day,"  said  an  old Orkneyman. 
"  It's  a  question  whether  it  wasn't  that  he  might  have  a 
last  look  on  his  fellow-creatures  and  the  mighty  sea." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

OUR  FIRST  WHALES  CAUGHT— 1  HEAR  NEWS 
OF  JACK. 

*THHE  moment  the  accident  was  perceived  Mr.  Griffiths 

X     ordered  the  only  remaining  boat  away,  and  jumped 

into   her,  for  the  carpenter  had  not  yet  finished  the  two 

building  to  replace  those  lost  off  Cape  Horn.    I  asked  to  go. 

"  No !  you  stay  on  board  and  help  to  work  the  ship  up 
to  us,"  he  answered. 

I  accordingly  went  to  the  helm,  as  I  steered  better  than 
most  of  those  remaining  on  board,  while  the  doctor  and 
steward  lent  a  hand  to  the  rest  in  pulling  and  hauling,  as 
we  had  continually  to  go  about;  but  the  wind  was  light, 
and  it  was  not  very  hard  work.  I  kept  an  eye  constantly 
towards  the  boats,  and  soon  saw  a  whift  planted  on  the 
back  of  the  last  whale  attacked,  which  showed  that  it 
was  dead. 

Our  anxiety  was  relieved  when,  instead  of  returning,  they 
made  chase  after  another  whale.  It  proved  that  although 
the  boat  had  been  destroyed,  the  men  had  escaped  with 
their  lives. 

"I  do  believe  we  shan't  have  the  skipper  aboard  again," 
observed  Horner. 

"  I  hope  so,"  I  said. 

"  Ahem  ! "  was  his  answer,  as  he  walked  away. 

At  length,  shortening  sail,  we  ran  up  alongside  the  first 


I  go  Peter  Trawl. 

whale  that  had  been  killed.  The  men  descended  to  its 
back  with  ropes  round  their  waists  to  hook  on  the  tackles 
to  its  head  and  flukes.  We  had  then  to  wait  until  the  boats 
towed  the  other  whale  up  to  the  opposite  side.  We  eagerly 
watched  their  proceedings. 

The  third  whale  was  attacked.  After  sounding  twice  and 
carrying  out,  apparently,  three,  if  not  four  lines,  we  saw  it 
suddenly  come  to  the  surface  and  leap  completely  out  of 
the  water.  This  is  called  breaching.  It  then  began  rolling 
round  and  round,  endeavouring  in  its  agony  to  get  rid  of 
the  weapon  sticking  in  it.  The  boats  for  some  time  kept 
at  a  distance.  Then  once  more  they  approached,  again 
to  pull  off  as  the  whale  commenced  lashing  the  water  with 
its  huge  flukes. 

"It's  in  its  flurry,"  observed  the  doctor,  who  was  looking 
through  his  telescope,  which  he  handed  to  me. 

At  last  we  saw  the  three  boats  approaching,  towing  the 
whale  by  the  nose.  The  wind  having  fallen,  and  having  a 
whale  alongside,  we  were  unable  to  near  them  to  save  them 
their  long  pull.  On  they  came,  towing  the  monster  at  the 
rate  of  a  mile  and  a  half  an  hour.  It  was  thus  upwards  of 
that  period  of  time  before  they  got  alongside. 

The  first  man  handed  up  was  Miles  Soper — or  Robinson 
Crusoe,  as  we  called  him — whose  leg  had  been  broken  by  the 
second  whale  attack.  He  had  willingly  endured  the  suffer- 
ing, lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  rather  than  give  up 
the  chase.  No  one  else  had  been  injured,  though  all  had 
run  a  great  risk  of  beirg  drowned;  but  a  whaler's  crew 
know  that  such  may  be  their  fate  at  any  moment. 

The  doctor  at  once  took  the  man  under  his  charge. 

No  time  was  lost  in  hooking  on  the  other  whale,  and 
commencing  the  operation  of  "  cutting-in."  This  I  may 
briefly  describe  as  taking  off  the  blubber  with  large  spades, 
the  handles  of  which  are  twenty  feet  long.  The  whale  is 


Our  First  Whales  Caught.  191 

turned  round  and  round  by  means  of  tackles  brought  to  the 
windlass,  the  blanket-piece,  or  blubber  covering,  being  thus 
gradually  stripped  off  till  it  reaches  the  tail,  which  is  hove 
on  board  with  the  last  piece.  The  blubber  is  lowered  down 
the  main  hatch-way  and  cut  up  into  small  pieces,  called 
"horse  pieces."  These  are  afterwards  piled  up  on  deck  to 
be  minced  into  thin  slices  for  boiling  in  the  pots.  The 
operation  of  "  cutting-in  "  is  a  very  dangerous  one  when 
there  is  any  sea  on  to  make  the  ship  roll.  The  first  and 
second  mates  stand  on  stages  lowered  over  the  side,  cutting 
the  blubber  from  the  whale  as  the  crew  heave  it  round  with 
the  windlass.  The  four  boat-steerers  are  on  the  gang-ways 
attending  to  the  guys  and  tackles,  the  captain  superintending 
the  whole  process,  while  the  carpenter  grinds  the  spades. 

All  round  the  sea  swarms  with  sharks  attracted  by  the 
oil  and  blubber.  When  not  otherwise  employed,  Tom  and 
I  and  Horner  attacked  them  with  the  spades  and  killed 
great  numbers.  We  worked  away  until  night,  but  did  not 
finish  even  then,  as  it  takes  twelve  hours  to  strip  the  blubber 
off  a  large  whale.  We  commenced  again  at  daylight,  and 
it  was  dark  before  we  began  to  cut  into  the  second  whale. 
We  had  still  a  third  to  operate  on,  but  as  each  was  worth 
nearly  a  thousand  pounds,  no  one  complained. 

Fortunately  the  weather  remained  fine,  and  we  got  the 
blubber  of  the  third  whale  on  board  by  the  end  of  the  next 
day.  We  had  also  boiled  the  spermaceti  oil  out  of  the 
head,  with  small  buckets  at  the  ends  of  long  poles.  This  is 
the  most  valuable  production  of  the  whale,  and  is  used  for 
making  candles. 

For  night  work  the  ship's  company  was  divided  into  two 
watches,  from  six  to  one,  and  from  one  to  six.  The  instant 
the  last  piece  of  blubber  was  on  board,  the  carcasses  were 
cast  loose  to  be  devoured  by  fish  and  fowl. 

We  began  the  operation  of  trying-out,  as   boiling   the 


1 92  Peter  Trawl. 

blubber  is  called,  by  first  putting  some  wood  under  the 
trypots.  As  soon  as  the  blubber  was  boiled,  the  scraps 
which  rose  to  the  surface  were  skimmed  off  with  a  large 
ladle,  and  after  being  thrown  into  a  pot  with  holes  in  the 
bottom  to  drain  off  the  oil  remaining  in  them,  were  used  as 
fuel  for  boiling  the  remainder  of  the  blubber. 

The  appearance  our  decks  presented,  with  huge  fires 
blazing  away  under  our  pots,  and  the  men  with  the  ladles 
skimming  off  the  scraps,  or  baling  out  the  oil  into  the 
coolers,  was  strange  and  weird  in  the  extreme.  Had  I  been 
suddenly  introduced  among  them,  I  should  not  have  re- 
cognised them  as  my  shipmates,  begrimed  as  they  were  with 
smoke  and  oil.  I  was,  however,  much  in  the  same  condition. 
Dr.  Cockle  had  become  accustomed  to  it,  but  I  cannot  fancy 
that  it  was  very  pleasant  to  him. 

The  doctor  told  me  that  he  should  be  glad,  whenever  I 
could,  if  I  would  go  below  and  talk  to  poor  Miles  Soper. 

I  willingly  did  so.  He  was  suffering  occasionally  great 
pain,  but  in  the  intervals  it  cheered  him  to  have  some  one 
to  speak  to.  I  found  that  he  was  even  more  ready  to  talk 
than  listen,  and  I  accordingly  got  him  to  tell  me  about  him- 
self. He  happened  to  ask  my  name.  I  told  him. 

"  Peter  Trawl ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  Trawl !  that's  curious. 
I  remember  a  chap  of  your  name  aboard  the  Lapwing  brig- 
of-war." 

I  at  once  was  deeply  interested. 

"He  must  have  been  my  brother  Jack,"  I  exclaimed. 
"  Do  tell  me  what  has  become  of  him,  for  I  heard  he  was 
lost  out  in  the  Indian  seas." 

"  That's  just  where  he  and  I  were  nearly  lost.  We  were 
coming  home  when  a  boat  was  sent  away,  and  we,  with  six 
more  men  and  an  officer,  went  in  her,  to  visit  an  island  on 
some  business  or  other,  I  forget  what,  and  I  didn't  know 
it's  name." 


A    SERIOUS    AFFRAY    WITH    PIRATF.S. 


Page  193. 


Our  First   Whales  Caught.  193 

"There  are  wild  sorts  of  chaps  out  in  those  parts,  who  go 
pirating  in  their  proas,  as  they  call  them.  While  we  were 
just  shoving  off,  a  dozen  or  more  of  these  proas  came  round 
us.  We  knew  if  the  pirates  got  hold  of  us  we  should  all  be 
knocked  on  the  head,  so  we  began  blazing  away  to  keep 
them  at  a  distance.  We  kept  on  at  it  till  we  hadn't  a  charge 
left  for  our  muskets.  Two  of  our  men  were  killed,  and  our 
officer  badly  wounded.  The  pirates  then  came  nearer  and 
fired  their  gingalls  into  us.  Just  then  one  of  their  proas 
caught  fire,  and  sent  up  such  clouds  of  smoke  that  for  some 
time,  as  we  were  near  her,  we  could  not  be  seen. 

"'Now,  lads,'  said  the  officer,  'those  among  you  who 
are  not  wounded  try  and  swim  to  shore.  It's  your  only 
chance.  The  rest  of  us  must  die  like  men.' 

"  Our  oars,  you  see,  were  shattered,  and  by  this  time  all 
hands  except  Jack  and  me  were  more  or  less  hurt  We 
followed  our  brave  officer's  advice,  and  leaping  overboard 
reached  the  beach  before  we  were  seen  by  the  pirates. 
Some  gingalls  were  fired  at  us,  but  we  got  away  among  the 
bushes,  and  ran  as  hard  as  our  legs  could  carry  us  in  shore. 
We  did  not  know  where  we  were  going,  or  what  sort  of 
people  we  should  meet.  Whether  the  pirates  landed  or  not 
we  did  not  stop  to  learn,  but  ay  we  ran  for  three  or  four 
hours  there  was  not  much  chance  of  being  overtaken. 

"  We  saw  at  last  a  river  before  us,  and  as  it  was  too  broad 
to  cross,  and  we  were  afraid,  should  we  attempt  to  swim 
over,  that  we  might  be  picked  off  by  one  of  those  big  scaly 
beasts  they  call  crocodiles,  we  kept  down  along  the  bank,  as 
we  knew  that  it  must  lead  us  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
island  to  where  we  had  landed, 

"'Cheer  up,'  said  Jack  to  me.  *  Maybe  our  ship  will 
come  round  there  and  take  us  off.  Our  fellows  are  sure  to 
be  searching  round  the  coast  on  the  chance  of  finding  us.' 

" '  I  hope  you're  right,  Jack,'  said  I,  '  for  it  will  be  a  bad 

13 


194  Peter  Trawl. 

job  for  us  if  we  can't  get  away,  as  how  we  are  to  find 
food  is  more  than  I  can  tell,  and  it's  very  clear  we  can't 
live  without  it.' 

"  There  were  plenty  of  trees  growing  on  the  bank,  though 
not  so  thickly  but  that  we  could  manage  to  make  our  way 
between  them. 

"  Says  Jack  to  me,  '  If  those  cut-throat  fellows  come  after 
us,  we  must  climb  up  one  of  these  and  hide  ourselves 
among  the  branches.' 

" '  I  don't  think  they  will  take  the  trouble  to  follow  us  so 
far,'  I  answered.  '  But  it's  a  good  idea  of  yours,  and  it  will 
give  us  a  chance  of  saving  our  lives.' 

"We  of  course  could  not  run  as  fast  as  we  had  been 
going  in  the  open  country.  Sometimes  we  came  across 
fallen  trees,  over  which  we  had  to  climb,  and  at  others  we 
had  to  go  round  thick  bushes  which  we  could  not  get  through. 
Still,  what  stopped  us  would  stop  our  enemies.  On  and  on 
we  went,  till  just  as  we  got  out  of  a  wood  we  saw  before  us 
a  village  of  curious-looking  houses,  built  on  stout  piles,  many 
of  them  right  in  the  water. 

"'Hadn't  we  better  go  back?'  I  said  to  Jack;  'the 
people  who  live  there  may  be  the  same  sort  of  cut-throats  as 
those  we  have  got  away  from.  They'll  be  for  knocking  us 
on  the  head  when  they  see  us.' 

"Jack  agreed  with  me  that  it  would  be  better  to  stay 
in  the  wood  till  it  was  dark,  and  we  might  then  make  our 
way  clear  of  the  village  down  to  the  sea.  We  were  just 
going  back,  when  a  woman  came  out  on  a  sort  of  verandah  in 
front  of  the  house  nearest  to  us,  and  we  knew  by  the  way 
she  was  looking  that  we  were  seen.  Then  she  turned  round 
and  called  to  another  woman,  who  also  came  out. 

" '  Come,'  said  Jack,  '  we  had  better  go  on  boldly  and 
ask  those  dark-skinned  ladies  to  give  us  their  protection. 
They  are  sure  to  do  that  if  we  look  humble  enough,  and 


Our  First   IV hales   Caught.  195 

show  them  that  we  want  to  be  friends,  for  to  my  mind 
women  are  alike  all  the  world  over.' 

"  So  we  moved  on,  kissing  our  hands,  and  then  holding 
them  up  clasped  before  us.  The  women  did  not  run  away, 
or  seem  a  bit  frightened ;  and  as  we  got  nearer  one  of  them 
came  down  the  ladder  and  held  out  both  her  hands,  which 
we  took  and  put  on  our  heads.  She  then  beckoned  us  up 
the  steps,  and  made  signs  to  us  to  sit  down  on  mats  inside 
the  house.  As  we  were  both  very  hungry  by  this  time,  we 
pointed  to  our  mouths  to  show  that  we  wanted  something 
to  eat  and  drink.  The  younger  girl  went  to  another  part  of 
the  house  and  brought  back  some  fish  and  yams,  and  a 
bowl  with  some  liquor  in  it.  There  was  not  much  to  be 
said  for  the  taste,  but  we  were  too  thirsty  after  our  long  run 
to  be  particular.  We  tried  to  make  the  women  understand 
that  there  were  enemies  coming  after  us,  and  that  we  wanted 
to  hide  away,  so  when  we  had  finished  our  meal  they 
beckoned  us  to  come  into  another  room,  and,  placing  some 
mats  on  the  ground,  they  told  us  that  we  might  sleep  there 
safely — at  least,  that's  what  we  made  out. 

"  Night  came  on,  and  Jack  and  I,  agreeing  that  we  had 
got  into  good  quarters,  went  to  sleep.  There  was  no  bell 
striking,  and  no  bo'sun's  mate  to  rouse  us  up,  and  so  we 
slept  on  till  it  was  broad  daylight.  We  got  up  and  looked 
out  from  the  verandah,  or  platform,  which  went  round  the 
house,  when  we  saw  three  %men  talking  together.  As  soon 
as  they  caught  sight  of  us  they  came  towards  the  house,  and 
one  of  them  mounted  the  ladder.  He  looked  at  us  with 
surprise,  and  seemed  to  be  asking  who  we  were.  We  told 
him  as  well  as  we  could  by  signs  that  we  had  come  across 
from  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  wanted  to  get  off  to 
our  ship,  which  would  soon  be  round  to  take  us  aboard. 
This  did  not  seem  to  satisfy  him.  Presently  in  came  the 
women,  and  they  had  a  talk  about  the  matter,  but  what 


ig6  Peter  Trawl. 

they  said  we  could  not  make  out.  The  first  man  then  called 
the  other  two,  and  after  more  palavering  they  began  to  look 
savage,  and  gave  us  to  understand  that  we  were  to  be  their 
slaves,  and  work  for  them. 

" '  Well,'  says  Jack  to  me,  '  all  we've  got  to  do  is  to  grin 
and  bear  it.  Maybe,  as  we  are  near  the  sea,  we  shall  have 
a  chance  of  making  our  escape.' 

"  This  was  one  comfort ;  so  we  nodded,  as  much  as  to 
say  we  were  ready  to  do  what  they  bid  us,  for,  you  see,  we 
were  in  their  power  and  couldn't  help  ourselves.  After 
we  had  gone  into  the  house  and  sat  down,  waiting  to  see 
what  would  next  happen,  the  women — bless  them  for  their 
kindness  ! — brought  us  some  more  food  for  breakfast,  and  a 
capital  one  we  made.  Bad  as  was  our  lot,  yet  it  was  better 
than  being  knocked  on  the  head  or  having  our  throats  cut 
A  number  of  people  now  came  out  of  their  houses,  and  there 
was  great  rejoicing  among  them  to  think  that  they  had  got 
two  white  men  as  slaves.  We  found  that  we  had  plenty  of 
work  to  do  to  cut  wood  and  fetch  water,  and  to  hoe  in  their 
fields,  which  were  some  way  from  the  village,  or  to  go  out 
fishing  with  them. 

"  This  we  liked  better  than  anything  else.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  the  women  our  lot  would  have  been  worse,  for 
they  took  care  to  give  us  food  every  day,  which  I  don't 
think  the  men  would  have  troubled  themselves  about  doing, 
for  they  were  regular  savages. 

" Day  after  day  went  by;  we  were  getting  accustomed  to 
our  life,  and  as  yet  had  had  no  chance  of  escaping.  A 
precious  sharp  look-out  was  at  all  times  kept  over  us,  and  I 
don't  think  even  the  women  would  have  wished  us  to  go, 
for  we  had  to  do  a  good  deal  of  the  work  which  would 
have  otherwise  fallen  to  their  lot.  Though  we  were,  as  I 
was  saying,  used  to  the  life  we  led,  we  both  wanted  to 
get  away. 


Our  First  Whales  Caught.  197 

"  I've  an  old  father  down  in  Dorsetshire,  and  there's  a 
bright  young  girl  who  lives  with  him  whom  I  would  give 
something  to  see  again ;  and  Jack  sighed  to  go  home,  as  he 
said,  to  see  his  father  and  mother,  and  a  young  brother  and 
sister.  He  used  to  talk  much  to  me  about  you  all,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  I  knew  you  long  before  we  ever  met. 

"  We  found  that  we  were  much  farther  from  the  sea  than 
we  had  at  first  supposed,  for  although  we  went  a  good  way 
down  the  river  we  never  reached  its  mouth. 

"The  people  in  the  village  didn't  lead  quiet  lives,  for 
they  were  always  on  the  watch,  fearing  that  they  might  be 
attacked  by  enemies.  At  night  they  made  fast  their  boats 
under  their  houses,  and  had  their  goods  all  ready  for  a  start 
into  the  woods,  while  they  had  men  on  the  look-out  night 
and  day  to  give  notice  should  any  strange  vessels  come  up 
the  river. 

"  Jack  and  I  agreed  that  if  any  enemies  should  come  in 
the  night  we  might  have  a  good  chance  of  escaping,  but 
from  what  we  had  seen  of  the  fellows  who  had  attacked  our 
boat  we  had  no  wish  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  such 
characters.  We  thought  that  we  might  manage  to  slip  into 
a  boat  and  pull  up  the  river  and  hide  ourselves  until  the 
pirates  had  gone  away. 

"You  must  know  that  we  did  not  wish  any  ill  to  our 
masters,  for  though  we  were  their  slaves  we  had  taken  a 
liking  to  them,  as  they  did  not  ill-treat  us,  and  gave  us  a 
good  deal  of  time  to  ourselves. 

"Weeks  and  months  went  by.  We  began  to  think  that 
no  enemy  would  come,  and  that  we  must  try  to  get  off  by 
some  other  means  than  that  we  had  first  thought  of.  At 
last  we  saw  the  men  sharpening  their  long  knives  and  polish- 
ing their  spears,  and  new  painting  their  shields. 

" '  Depend  upon  it  there's  something  in  the  wind,'  said 
Jack  to  me.  '  They  are  going  on  a  war  expedition.' 


198  Peter  Trawl. 

" '  No  doubt  about  the  matter,'  I  said,  '  and  they'll  want 
us  to  go  with  them.' 

" '  Then  we  must  take  care  not  to  go,'  said  Jack.  '  I  for 
one  won't  be  for  killing  men,  women,  and  children,  as  these 
fellows  are  likely  to  do.  We  must  pretend  to  be  sick,  ot 
that  we  do  not  understand  what  they  want  of  us,  and  get  of: 
somehow  or  other.' 

"  Whether  or  not  it  was  talking  about  being  sick  I  don't 
know,  but  the  very  next  night  I  was  struck  down  with  fever. 
Our  masters  saw  that  I  was  not  shamming.  The  women 
also  stood  our  friends,  and  declared  that  I  was  not  fit  to  goi 
up  and  work,  while  Jack  was  allowed  to  stay  at  home  and 
nurse  me.  I  was  very  bad,  and  I  believe  he  thought  that  I 
should  die. 

"  If  he  had  been  my  own  mother's  son  he  couldn't  have 
looked  after  me  better  than  he  did ;  night  and  day  he  was 
always  by  my  side,  ready  to  give  me  what  I  wanted.  One 
day  I  heard  a  loud  shouting  and  singing,  and  Jack,  who 
had  gone  out,  came  back  and  said  that  the  men  had  all 
started  with  their  spears  and  shields.  They  had  wanted  to 
make  him  go,  but  the  women  said  he  must  stop  behind, 
though  he  had  a  hard  matter  to  escape  from  the  men.  I 
was  already  getting  better,  and  this  news  made  me  feel 
better  still 

" '  It  will  be  a  bad  return  to  run  off  with  one  of  their 
boats,'  said  Jack,  '  but  there  seems  no  help  for  it,  and  it  may 
be  our  only  chance,  for  the  men  will  be  back  again  in  a  day 
or  two.' 

"  That  very  night,  while  Jack  and  I  were  sitting  up  talk- 
ing, we  heard  shrieks  and  cries  in  the  distance;  and  presently, 
looking  out,  Jack  said  he  saw  the  houses  lower  down  the 
river  burning. 

" '  Then  depend  upon  it  the  pirates  have  taken  the  place, 
I  said. 


Our  First  Whales  Caught.  199 

"  '  No  doubt  about  it,'  exclaimed  Jack,  '  and  now  is  our 
chance.  If  we  could  defend  the  poor  women  and  children 
we  would,  but  we  cannot  do  that.  They'll  know  where  to 
fly  to,  and  so,  I  hope,  escape.' 

"  Suddenly  I  felt  my  strength  come  back,  and  I  was  able 
to  follow  Jack  down  the  ladder,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the 
boat  was  kept  moored.  To  cut  the  painter  by  which  she 
was  made  fast  didn't  take  us  a  moment,  and  springing  into 
her  we  paddled  across  the  stream.  As  we  looked  down  the 
river  we  could  see  all  the  houses  in  a  blaze,  and  here  and 
there  people  running  off  into  the  woods,  while  we  made  out 
half  a  score  or  more  of  the  dark  proas  stealing  up  along  the 
shore." 

Just  as  Miles  Soper  had  got  thus  far  in  his  history  I  was 
summoned  on  deck,  and  eager  as  I  was  to  hear  how  he  and 
Jack  had  fared,  I  was  obliged  to  attend  to  my  duty. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
MILES  SOPERS  NARRATIVE  CONCLUDED. 

"  T  'VE  heard  news  of  my  brother  Jack  ! "  I  exclaimed,  as 

J.      I  met  Jim  directly  after  I  sprang  on  deck. 

"  What !  is  he  alive  ?  "  asked  Jim. 

"Miles  Soper,  who  was  his  shipmate,  thinks  so,"  I 
answered.  "  At  all  events,  he  wasn't  killed  when  we  thought 
he  was." 

"Then,  Peter,  we'll  find  him  if  we  search  the  world 
round ! "  cried  Jim,  giving  me  a  warm  grip  of  the  hand. 
"  I  am  glad ;  that  I  am  ! " 

It  takes  a  whole  day  to  "  try  out " — that  is,  to  boil  down 
the  blubber  of  each  whale.  I  found  that  the  cooper  and  his 
mate  had  just  finished  filling  up  the  casks  from  the  coolers, 
and  I  was  wanted,  with  others,  to  assist  in  rolling  them  aft. 

Here  they  were  chocked  and  lashed  and  left  to  cool  for 
several  days  before  they  were  in  a  condition  to  be  stowed 
away  in  the  hold.  In  the  meantime  we  had  to  get  up  all 
the  empty  casks  on  deck  so  that  we  might  lay  the  ground- 
tier  with  the  full  casks.  As  the  casks  were  piled  up,  one 
upon  another,  the  ship  was  in  consequence  almost  topheavy, 
and  I  saw  the  captain  and  Mr.  Griffiths  frequently  casting 
glances  round  the  horizon,  to  watch  for  an  indication  of  any 
change  in  the  weather,  for  should  a  sudden  squall  strike 
the  ship  she  might,  while  in  this  condition,  be  sent  over  in 
an  instant  Every  possible  exertion  was  therefore  made  to 


Milts  Soper's  Narrative  Concluded.      201 

get  the  task  accomplished,  and  all  hands  were  employed. 
Anxious  as  I  was  to  hear  what  had  become  of  my  brother, 
I  consequently  had  no  opportunity  for  a  long  time  of 
listening  to  a  continuance  of  Miles  Soper's  narrative.  I 
should  have  said  that  though  the  oil  casks  were  stowed 
away  empty  and  filled  by  means  of  the  hose  from  the  deck, 
the  greatest  care  was  required  in  bedding  them,  as  they 
might  have  to  remain  three  years  or  more  in  the  hold. 
The  blubber  from  the  three  whales  was  at  length  tryed  out 
and  secured  in  the  casks,  and  the  decks  being  washed  down, 
the  ship  once  more  resumed  her  ordinary  appearance,  we 
meantime  continuing  our  course  northward.  The  first 
moment  I  was  at  liberty  I  went  down  to  see  Miles  Soper. 
He  said  that  he  felt  much  better,  though  still  unable  to 
do  duty. 

"  And  what  about  Jack  ? "  I  asked ;  "  you  and  he  were 
just  pulling  away  across  the  river  at  night  to  escape  from  the 
Dyack  pirates." 

"  Yes ;  I  have  been  thinking  much  about  it  since  I  told 
you.  I  would  not  have  to  go  through  that  time  again  for  a 
good  deal  if  I  could  help  it.  We  could  hear  the  shrieks 
and  cries  of  the  old  men,  women,  and  children  as  the  cruel 
pirates  caught  triem  and  cut  off  their  heads,  and  we  could 
see  the  flames  burst  out  from  the  houses  all  along  the  banks 
of  the  river.  We  were  afraid  that  the  light  would  be  thrown 
upon  our  boat,  so  that  we  dare  not  venture  down  the  river, 
but  pulled  up  along  the  southern  bank  close  under  the 
bushes.  We  thought  that  we  were  safe,  at  all  events,  till 
daylight,  when  we  caught  sight  of  two  boats  coming  out 
from  among  the  pirate  fleet  and  steering  up  stream.  I  gave 
up  all  for  lost,  as  I  knew  that  they  would  whip  our  heads 
off  in  a  moment  should  they  come  up  with  us. 

" '  Don't  give  in ! '  cried  Jack ;  '  perhaps  it  isn't  us  that 
they're  after.' 


2O2  Peter  Trawl. 

"  We  ceased  pulling  lest  the  light  should  fall  on  our  oar- 
blades,  for  we  should  have  had  no  chance  if  they  had  made 
chase. 

" '  Let's  paddle  in  under  these  bushes,'  whispered  Jack ; 
'they're  very  thick,  and  we  can  He  hid  here,  while  maybe 
they'll  pass  us.' 

"  We  did  as  he  proposed.  As  the  boughs  overhung  the 
water  and  almost  touched  it  with  their  ends,  we  hoped  that 
the  pirates  would  not  discover  us.  We  could  just  look  out 
across  the  river,  and  saw  the  boats  still  coming  towards  us. 
We  both  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  our  boat  and  remained 
as  quiet  as  mice,  scarcely  daring  to  look  up  above  the  gun- 
wale for  fear  of  being  seen.  We  could  hear  the  voices  of 
the  pirates  and  the  splash  of  their  oars  as  they  drew  nearer. 
If  they  had  before  seen  us  they  might  have  observed  the 
spot  where  we  had  disappeared,  and  I  expected  every 
moment  to  have  my  head  whipped  off  my  shoulders.  Just 
putting  my  eyes  above  the  gunwale,  I  saw  the  two  boats, 
broadside  on,  pulling  along.  They  hadn't  found  us  out 
On  and  on  they  went,  right  up  the  stream.  They  must 
have  thought  that  we  were  still  ahead.  We,  of  course, 
didn't  dare  to  move,  hoping  that  they  would  give  up  the 
chase  and  go  back  again. 

" '  We  must  not  be  too  sure  that  they  won't  look  for  us 
when  they  do  come  back,'  said  Jack.  '  Howsomdever,  there's 
no  use  crying  out  till  we're  caught  I'll  tell  you  what ;  the 
best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  get  on  shore  and  make  our  way 
inland;  then,  though  they  may  find  the  boat,  they  wont 
catch  us.'  I  agreed ;  so,  shoving  the  boat  farther  in  till  we 
reached  the  bank,  we  sprang  on  shore,  and  having  secured 
her  by  the  painter,  set  off  directly  away  from  the  river.  As 
it  was  very  dark,  we  had  to  grope  our  way  amongst  the  trees 
and  bushes,  though  the  glare  in  the  sky  from  the  burning 
houses  enabled  us  to  steer  a  right  course.  We  half  expected 


Miles  Soper's  Narrative  Concluded.       203 

that  a  snake  or  a  wild  beast  might  pounce  down  upon  us, 
and  we  had  no  arms  to  defend  ourselves.  But  anything 
was  better  than  to  be  caught  by  the  pirates.  At  last,  when 
our  clothes  were  torn  nearly  off  our  backs,  we  reached  some 
open  ground,  and  set  off  running  till  we  got  to  a  wood  on 
the  opposite  side.  '  Now,'  says  Jack,  '  we  won't  go  farther, 
but  hide  here  till  the  morning ;  then  maybe,  if  we  can  climb 
to  the  top  of  a  tree,  we  shall  be  able  to  catch  sight  of  the 
river  and  find  out  what  the  pirates  are  doing.'  I  thought 
his  idea  a  good  one,  so  we  sat  down  on  the  ground  and 
waited.  We  could  hear  no  sounds,  so  we  concluded  that 
all  the  poor  people  had  been  killed.  We  hoped,  however, 
that  the  warriors  might  come  back  and  beat  the  pirates  oft. 
Not  that  we  wished  to  fall  into  the  power  of  our  old  masters 
again,  for  they  would  have  kept  us  prisoners  if  they  didn't 
take  it  into  their  heads  to  kill  us. 

"  At  last  the  light  returned,  and  seeing  a  tall  tree  near, 
Jack  and  I  climbed  up  to  the  top.  Jack  went  first. 
'  Hurrah ! '  he  shouted ;  '  there  go  the  pirates  down  the 
river,  pulling  away  with  all  their  oars  out ! '  Sure  enough  I 
saw  them  also.  '  But  I  say,  Jack,  perhaps  the  warriors  have 
come  back  and  put  them  to  flight ;  if  so,  we  must  take  care 
not  to  be  caught  by  them.'  I  said,  '  I  can  see  where  the 
village  stood,  but  I  don't  see  any  people  moving  about.' 
'  It's  a  long  way,  to  be  sure,  so  we  must  be  careful,'  answered 
Jack.  We  soon  got  down  the  tree  and  returned  to  our  boat 
The  pirates  hadn't  discovered  her,  so  we  got  on  board,  and 
cautiously  shoved  out  to  the  edge  of  the  bushes,  stopping 
just  inside  them.  We  then  took  a  look  out,  but  could 
discover  no  one  moving  on  the  opposite  shore,  so  we  pulled 
across  to  the  village.  It  was  a  fearful  sight  we  saw  there. 
Bodies  of  old  men,  women,  and  children  were  scattered 
about,  but  the  heads  were  gone. 

"  We  were  in  a  hurry,  you  may  be  sure,  to  get  away,  but, 


204  Peter  TrawL 

says  Jack,  '  It  won't  do  to  put  to  sea  without  food  or  water.' 
So  we  hunted  about,  and  found  in  the  bushes  several 
baskets  which  the  poor  people  had  been  trying  to  carry  off 
with  food  of  all  sorts,  and  some  calabashes,  which  we 
quickly  filled  at  the  spring  where  we  were  accustomed  to 
get  water.  We  hurried  with  them  back  to  the  boat,  and 
once  more  shoved  off.  We  then  paddled  away  down  the 
river.  The  current  was  running  out,  so  that  we  made  good 
way,  and  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  burnt  village.  Our 
craft  was  not  very  well  suited  for  a  voyage,  but  anything  was 
better  than  stopping  to  be  killed  on  shore.  We  pulled  on 
until  nearly  noon  before  we  came  in  sight  of  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  There  was  no  bar,  and  the  sea  was  smooth,  so 
we  resolved  to  pull  out  at  once,  in  the  hope  of  being  picked 
up  by  some  passing  vessel.  We  were  still  not  certain  even 
now  that  our  masters  would  not  make  chase  after  us,  so  we 
didn't  stop  a  moment,  except  just  to  look  round,  but  pulled 
right  away  to  sea.  Just  as  we  got  outside  we  caught  sight 
of  the  pirate  fleet  under  sail,  standing  to  the  nor'ard.  We 
therefore  pulled  south,  not  that  there  was  much  chance  ot 
their  coming  back,  but  we  thought  that  if  we  went  in  their 
wake  we  should  not  fall  in  with  any  merchant  vessel,  for  at 
any  rate  if  they  should  have  met  one  they  would  to  a 
certainty  have  robbed  and  scuttled  her. 

"  We  supposed  that  there  were  other  islands  away  to  the 
westward,  but  then  they  might  be  inhabited  by  the  same  cut- 
throat sort  of  fellows  as  those  from  whom  we  had  escaped, 
and  we  didn't  want  to  fall  into  their  hands.  Our  chief  hope 
was  to  be  picked  up  by  some  passing  vessel  or  other, 
perhaps  by  our  own  ship,  but  Jack  said  he  thought  she 
would  not  have  remained  at  the  station,  and  would  have 
long  ago  given  up  searching  for  us.  It  was  hot  work 
paddling  away  all  day,  and  we  would  have  given  much  for  a 
sail,  but  the  boat  was  not  fitted  for  one,  and  she  was  not 


Miles  Soper's  Narrative  Concluded.       205 

fitted  either  for  a  heavy  sea — not  that  there  was  much  chance 
of  that  getting  up  at  such  time  of  the  year.  We  had  plenty 
of  food  and  water,  so  we  kept  up  our  spirits.  Where  we 
were  going  to  neither  of  us  could  tell ;  all  we  knew  was  that 
we  were  our  own  masters.  We  were  queer  characters  to 
look  at,  with  our  clothes  all  torn  to  shreds,  our  hair  long, 
and  our  faces  as  brown  as  berries.  No  one  would  have 
taken  us  for  Englishmen,  but  we  had  English  tongues  and 
English  heart?,  and  we  made  up  our  minds  to  stick  at  it  and 
not  be  downcast.  We  wanted  to  get  away  as  far  as  we 
could  from  the  shore,  for  fear  any  of  the  natives  might  come 
after  us — not  that  there  was  much  chance  of  that.  We 
paddled  and  paddled  till  our  arms  ached,  and  we  were  well- 
nigh  roasted  with  the  hot  sun.  We  were  thankful  when 
night  came  on,  and  we  were  able  to  rest  and  take  some  food. 

"  We  had  agreed  to  keep  watch  and  watch,  but  it  was  of 
no  use  trying  to  keep  awake,  so  we  both  lay  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  and  went  fast  asleep.  When  we  awoke 
it  was  broad  daylight,  and  presently  up  came  the  sun  and 
beat  down  on  our  heads  as  hot  as  the  day  before.  There 
we  were  floating  on  the  sea  with  the  water  calm  as  a  mill- 
pond,  and  not  a  sail  in  sight.  There  was  no  chance  either 
of  a  vessel  coming  near  us  while  the  calm  continued.  We 
took  our  breakfasts,  however,  and  talked  of  what  we  should 
do.  Far  away  to  the  east  we  could  see  the  blue  outline  of 
the  island  we  had  left,  but  what  part  to  steer  for  we  could 
not  make  up  our  minds.  There  was  only  one  thing  we 
determined — come  what  might,  not  to  go  back  and  be  made 
slaves  of.  It  seemed  useless  to  be  paddling  away  and  yftt 
not  to  know  where  we  were  going  to  ;  but  we  still  hoped  that 
we  might  fall  in  with  some  merchant  vessel,  it  mattered  not 
of  what  country,  though  we  wished  she  might  be  English, 
and  so  we  might  find  our  way  home. 

"  '  Come,  let's  be  moving,'  said  Jack,  at  last     '  I've  heard 


206  Peter  Ttau.1. 

say  that  there  are  Dutch  and  Spanish  settlements  out  in 
these  parts,  and  maybe  we  shall  fall  in  with  one  of  them, 
and  both  the  mynheers  and  dons  are  good  sort  of  people, 
and  will  treat  us  kindly.' 

"  So  we  took  to  our  paddles  and  made  our  way  to  the 
westward.  All  day  we  paddled  on,  but  no  land  appeared  in 
sight,  and  now  and  then  we  stopped  to  take  some  food  and 
a  drink  of  water,  but  it  was  tiring  work.  We  were  thankful 
when  night  came  at  last  We  didn't  sleep  so  long,  and  were 
at  our  paddles  before  daybreak,  for  we  knew  by  the  stars 
how  to  steer. 

"Next  day  we  did  just  the  same,  and  the  next  after 
that. 

"'I  say,  Miles,'  said  Jack,  'we  must  soon  manage  to 
come  to  land  or  we  shall  be  starving.  We  have  not  got 
food  nor  water  for  more  than  one  day  longer,  and  without 
them  we  shall  not  be  able  to  hold  out' 

"  That  was  very  true ;  still  neither  of  us  thought  of  giving 
in.  A  light  breeze  from  the  eastward  had  sprung  up,  so 
that  we  made  good  way,  but  there  was  no  land  to  be  seen 
ahead.  We  didn't  talk  much,  for  we  had  said  all  we  could 
say  about  our  prospects,  and  they  were  bad  enough.  But 
they  became  worse  when  we  had  drunk  up  all  the  water  and 
eaten  every  bit  of  food  we  had  in  the  boat.  I  had  heard  of 
people  going  three  or  four  days  without  eating,  but  the  want 
of  water  was  the  worst  We  would  have  given  a  heap  of 
gold  if  we  had  had  it  for  a  cupful.  The  wind  now  shifted 
to  the  southward,  and  blew  much  stronger  than  before, 
knocking  up  a  sea  which  threatened  every  moment  to  swamp 
our  boat,  which  was  not  fitted  for  rough  water.  We  now 
began  to  think  that  it  was  all  up  with  us,  and  that  all  we 
could  do  was  just  to  keep  the  boat's  head  to  the  seas  to 
prevent  her  from  capsizing. 

"At  last  Jack  sang  out,  'A  sail!  a  sail  to  the  southward!' 


A   STRANGE-LOOKING   CRAFT    SHE    SEEMED   AS    SHE   DREW   NEARER." 

Page  207. 


Miles  Soper's  Narrative  Concluded.      207 

"  There  she  was,  coming  up  before  the  wind.    A  strange- 
looking,  outlandish  craft  she  seemed  as  she  drew  nearer. 

"  '  I  wonder  whether  she's  one  of  those  Dyack  or  Malay 
pirates,'  I  said.  'If  so,  we  may  as  well  let  the  boat  turn  over.' 

" 'No,  no;  let  us  trust  God,  and  hope  for  the  best,'  said 
Jack.  '  Cheer  up,  Miles !  she's  sent  for  our  relief.' 

"  I  was  not  so  sure  of  that,  for  it  was  easy  to  see  from 
her  outlandish  rig  that  she  was  one  of  the  craft  of  those  seas. 
Presently,  as  she  got  near  us,  she  lowered  her  sails  and 
came  close  up.  Ropes  were  hove  to  us,  and  hands  were 
stretched  out  over  the  side  to  haul  us  on  board,  for  we  had 
scarcely  strength  enough  left  to  help  ourselves.  They  tried 
to  secure  the  boat,  but  she  drifted  off  and  was  swamped. 
We  just  saw  that  the  people  were  Chinamen,  pig-eyed,  with 
turned-up  noses  and  yellow  skins.  We  both  fainted  away. 
They  brought  us  some  water,  and  in  a  short  time  we  got 
better.  They  then  carried  us  into  a  small  cabin  aft  out  of 
the  hot  sun.  Presently  they  brought  us  some  food — rice,  and 
some  stuff  minced  with  it.  We  were  not  particular,  for  we 
were  desperately  hungry. 

"  We  now  found  that  the  people  who  had  picked  us  up 
were  honest  traders  bound  northward  with  a  cargo  of  sea- 
slugs,  birds'-nests,  and  other  things  from  these  seas.  We 
tried  to  talk  to  them,  but  could  not  manage  it,  as  none  of 
them  understood  English,  and  we  couldn't  speak  their  lingo. 
But  as  soon  as  we  got  stronger  we  made  ourselves  useful, 
pulling  and  hauling,  and  doing  whatever  came  to  hand. 
Where  we  were  going  to  we  could  not  make  out,  but  we 
hoped  that  it  was  to  some  place  at  which  the  English  ships 
touched,  and  that  we  might  get  home  some  day.  As  Jack 
said,  we  had  reason  to  be  thankful  that  we  had  been  picked 
up,  for  the  weather  came  on  very  bad,  and  our  boat  could 
not  have  lived  through  it.  The  Chinamen  kept  a  bright 
look-out,  and  seemed  terribly  afraid  of  the  pirates.  We 


208  Peter  Trawl. 

tried  to  make  them  understand  that  we  had  seen  the  fleet 
sail  to  nor'ard  a  short  time  before,  and  we  ourselves  didn't 
like  the  thoughts  of  falling  in  with  them.  We  told  them 
also  that  we  would  fight  to  the  death  sooner  than  yield. 
They  understood  us,  and  seemed  to  think  that  we  were  very 
fine  fellows.  We  had  been  sailing  on  for  three  or  four  days, 
and  we  began  to  hope  that  we  were  free  of  the  pirates,  when 
just  as  we  passed  a  headland  we  caught  sight  of  a  number 
of  craft  coming  out  from  under  it.  On  seeing  them  the 
Chinamen  looked  very  much  frightened,  hoisted  all  sail, 
and  brought  their  arms  on  deck.  We  watched  the  strangers, 
who,  it  was  very  clear,  were  making  chase  after  us.  We 
should  have  a  hard  fight  for  it,  even  if  we  should  manage  to 
get  off.  Presently,  however,  we  saw  their  sails  flapping 
against  their  masts  as  they  came  under  the  headland,  whilst 
we  still  had  a  breeze  and  went  away  dancing  merrily  over 
the  water.  I  never  felt  so  pleased  in  my  life,  and  the 
Chinamen  seemed  highly  delighted,  chattering  and  jabbering 
away  like  so  many  monkeys.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  the 
pirates'  sails  sink  below  the  horizon,  and  pleasanter  still  to 
lose  sight  of  them  altogether. 

"  We  ran  on  day  after  day.  The  breeze  held  fair  and  we 
by  degrees  got  accustomed  to  our  new  friends,  and  could 
make  ourselves  understood  in  a  fashion.  We  sometimes 
were  sailing  between  islands,  and  sometimes  on  the  open 
sea.  Whereabouts  we  were  we  had  no  idea,  though  we  sup- 
posed that  we  were  approaching  the  Chinamen's  country. 

"  We  had  been  a  fortnight  or  more  on  board  when  dark 
clouds  rose  up  from  the  south-west,  and  it  came  on  to  blow 
very  hard.  The  sails  were  lowered  and  we  ran  before  the 
gale.  I  saw  by  the  looks  of  the  crew  that  they  didn't  like 
it,  nor  did  we,  for  it  seemed  as  if  at  any  moment  the  clumsy 
craft  might  be  capsized;  We,  however,  pumped  and  baled, 
and  tried  to  keep  her  clear  of  water.  It  all  seemed,  how- 


Miles  Soper*  s  Narrative  Concluded.      209 

ever,  of  no  use,  for  the  seas  washed  into  her  and  she  was 
leaking  terribly. 

"  We  had  been  driven  a  long  way  out  of  our  course.  We 
did  our  best  to  cheer  up  our  shipmates,  and  set  them  the 
example  by  working  harder  than  any  of  them. 

"  At  last  the  gale  ceased,  and  we  once  more  made  sail, 
but,  do  all  we  could,  the  water  gained  on  us  and  the  crew 
began  to  heave  the  cargo  overboard  to  keep  the  junk  afloat. 
The  boats  had  been  washed  away,  and  we  knew  that  if  she 
went  down  we  should  all  be  drowned.  Jack  and  I  talked 
of  what  we  could  do  to  save  our  lives,  but  we  agreed  that 
we  should  have  to  share  the  fate  of  the  rest.  It  seemed  to 
us  that  the  craft  would  not  swim  another  night,  when  we 
made  out  a  sail  to  the  westward. 

"  The  Chinamen  by  this  time  were  so  knocked  up  that 
they  were  scarcely  able  to  exert  themselves.  Jack  and  I 
sprang  here  and  there,  now  pumping,  now  baling,  now  trying 
to  make  our  companions  do  the  same.  It  seemed  to  us  that 
they  would  let  the  craft  go  down  in  sight  of  help.  The 
stranger  we  judged  by  the  cut  of  her  sails  to  be  a  whaler. 
The  junk  was  settling  lower  and  lower  in  the  water. 
Jack  found  a  flag,  an  odd-looking  piece  of  stuff  it  was. 
He  ran  it  up  half-mast  high  as  a  signal  of  distress.  The 
stranger  came  on  slowly,  for  the  wind  was  light.  It 
seemed  even  now  that  she  would  not  be  in  time  to  save  us. 
At  last  she  got  near  enough  to  see  our  condition,  and 
hove  to.  Four  boats  were  lowered,  which  came  pulling 
towards  'us. 

"  By  this  time  the  water  was  almost  up  to  the  lower  deck. 
Jack  and  I  stood  ready  to  spring  on  board  the  first  boat 
which  came  up.  The  brave  crew  came  on,  and  were  in  time 
to  haul  the  greater  number  of  the  Chinamen  on  board  beforo 
the  junk  sunk  beneath  their  feet.  Several  went  down  in 
ner,  too  much  knocked  up  to  exert  themselves.  With  us 

14 


2io  Peter  Trawl. 

and  those  saved,  the  boats  returned  on  board.  We  found 
that  we  had  been  picked  up  by  the  Helen,  whaler.  She 
had  been  cruising  off  the  coast  of  Japan,  and  was  going  to 
Macao  for  fresh  provisions.  As  she  was  short  of  hands 
Jack  and  I  at  once  entered  on  board  her.  Having  landed 
the  unfortunate  Chinamen  and  taken  in  the  stores  we  wanted, 
we  stood  away  into  the  Pacific.  We  found  ourselves  among 
a  somewhat  rough  lot,  but  we  were  better  off  than  we  had 
been  as  slaves,  though  Jack  and  I  agreed  that  we  would 
much  rather  serve  on  board  a  man-o'-war.  We  had  been 
cruising  for  some  time,  and  had  caught  and  stowed  away 
about  a  dozen  whales  or  more,  when  one  night  there  was 
a  cry  of  '  Breakers  ahead  ! ' 

"  The  captain,  who  was  on  deck  in  a  moment,  gave  the 
order  to  put  up  the  helm  and  veer  ship,  but  before  she  could 
be  got  round  she  struck  heavily.  We  sounded  round  her 
and  found  the  water  deep  on  the  starboard  side  But  all 
our  efforts  proving  useless,  the  order  was  given  to  lower  the 
boats.  We  had  five  fit  for  service,  and  they  were  got  safely 
into  the  water.  Jack  went  in  one  of  them,  I  in  another. 
We  were  ordered  to  keep  off  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  ship 
till  daylight  When  morning  broke  we  found  that  the  ship 
was  a  complete  wreck,  and  that  there  was  no  chance  of 
saving  her.  The  captain  then  ordered  the  boats  to  come 
alongside  one  at  a  time  and  embark  the  rest  of  the  crew, 
with  such  provisions  as  could  be  collected.  We  now  saw 
land  away  to  the  nor*ard,  and,  having  left  the  ship,  pulled 
towards  it  Our  great  want  was  water,  and  to  obtain  it  the 
captain  divided  us  into  two  parties  to  look  into  any  bays  we 
might  discover  and  try  and  find  a  spring.  I  was  in  the 
second  mate's  boat.  We  were  just  pulling  into  a  bay,  when 
a  dozen  canoes  full  of  black  savages,  with  bows  and  spears, 
darted  out  and  made  chase  after  us,  so  we  pulled  away  out 
to  sea.  What  had  become  of  the  other  boats  we  could  not 


Miles  Super"1  s  Narrative  Concluded.       211 

tell.  Your  brother  Jack  had  gone  in  the  captain's,  and  that 
was  the  last  I  saw  of  him." 

"Do  you  think  they  could  have  escaped  from  the  savages?" 
I  asked,  anxiously, 

"I  have  no  reason  to  suppose  they  didu't,  just  as  we 
managed  to  escape,"  answered  Miles,  "  but  we  didn't  catch 
sight  of  them  again.  We  had  sails  in  our  boat,  and  plenty 
of  provisions,  and  the  mate  told  us  he  intended  to  steer  for 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  nearest  civilised  place  he  knew 
of,  but  that  it  was  a  long  way  off,  and  we  should  be  a  long 
time  about  it  He  might  have  been  right,  but  we  were  still 
many  days'  sail  from  it  when  we  ran  short  of  provisions  and 
drank  up  all  our  water.  I  believe  that  we  should  have  died 
if  we  hadn't  fallen  in  with  another  whaler,  which  picked  us 
up.  I  entered  on  board  her,  as  did  some  of  the  men,  but 
the  mate  and  others  preferred  landing  at  Honolulu.  I 
served  on  board  her  for  some  time.  We  had  gone  south- 
ward, having  got  a  full  ship,  when  we  struck  on  a  coral  reef. 
Though  we  did  all  we  could  to  keep  her  afloat,  she  went 
down  with  all  hands,  except  the  black  and  me,  and  we 
managed  to  get  ashore  on  Robinson  Crusoe's  Island,  from 
which  you  took  us  off." 

"  But  can't  you  give  me  any  idea  as  to  what  has  become 
of  Jack  ?  "  I  again  asked. 

"Not  more  than  1  have  told  you,"  answered  Miles;  "but 
my  idea  is  that  some  if  not  all  the  boats  got  off,  though  in 
what  direction  they  steered  I've  no  notion." 

I  was  prevented  from  talking  more  on  the  subject  just 
then  by  being  summoned  on  deck,  and  when  I  told  Jim  he 
repeated  what  he  had  before  said, 

"  We'll  find  him,  Peter.     We'll  find  him." 


CHAPTER  XX. 
A    MUTINY  AND   ITS   CONSEQUENCES. 

I  TOLD  Dr.  Cockle  all  I  had  heard  about  my  brother  Jack 
from  Miles  Soper.  He  seemed  greatly  interested,  and 
said  that  he  sincerely  hoped  we  might  find  Jack  or  hear  ot 
him,  though  he  confessed  that  it  was  very  much  like  looking 
for  a  needle  in  a  bundle  of  hay.  Jim  and  I  talked  of  little 
else.  We  neither  of  us  any  longer  thought  of  going  home, 
but  I  got  a  letter  ready  to  send,  by  the  first  ship  bound  for 
England,  to  my  sister  Mary,  and  another  to  Mr.  Troil,  telling 
them  that  I  had  got  tidings  of  Jack,  and  much  as  I  wished 
to  get  back,  should  stay  out  in  those  seas  till  I  found  him. 

My  great  wish  now  was  to  fall  in  with  other  whalers,  that 
I  might  make  inquiries  about  my  brother.  The  captain — 
though,  I  suppose,  Dr.  Cockle  and  Mr.  Griffiths  told  him 
what  I  had  heard — seemed  to  take  no  interest  in  the  matter, 
nor  did  he  show  me  any  more  attention  than  before. 

We  had  left  Juan  Fernandez  more  than  a  month,  when  a 
cry  came  from  the  masthead  of  "  Land  ho !  "  It  proved 
to  be  Chatham  Island,  one  of  the  Galapagos,  a  group  of 
volcanic  islands  almost  under  the  line,  some  hundred  miles 
away  from  the  coast  of  Peru.  We  brought  up  in  a  fine  bay, 
but  the  shore  as  far  as  we  could  see  looked  black  and  barren. 
There  were,  however,  thick,  low  bushes  of  a  peculiar  kind, 
covering  the  ground  at  some  distance  from  the  beach.  As 
Dr.  Cockle  was  going  on  shore  with  one  of  the  mates  and  a 


A  Mutiny  and  its  Consequences.         213 

party  of  the  men,  he  to  botanise  and  they  to  obtain  fresh 
provisions,  I  went  up  to  the  captain  and  asked  leave  to 
accompany  him. 

"  I  understand  you  have  made  up  your  mind  not  to  run 
away,"  he  observed,  in  his  usual  sarcastic  tone. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  answered ;  "  I'm  content  to  remain  on  board 
your  ship,  though  I  know  that  I  would  until  lately  have 
done  anything  to  get  back  to  England." 

"Take  care  you  don't  change  your  mind,"  he  said,  in 
the  same  tone  as  before.  "  If  the  doctor  will  be  answerable 
for  you,  you  can  go." 

I  told  the  doctor  what  the  captain  said. 

"  I  know  that  I  can  trust  you,  Peter,  and  I'll  tell  the 
captain  that  I'll  undertake  to  bring  you  back,"  he  answered. 

I  was  glad  to  find  that  Jim  was  to  form  one  of  the  party. 
Horner  also  got  leave  to  go.  Though  he  and  I  were  on 
good  terms,  I  can't  say  I  looked  upon  him  as  a  friend,  but 
I  was  well  pleased  that  he  should  have  a  run  on  shore,  as  I 
hoped  that  it  would  put  him  in  good  humour,  for  of  late  he 
had  become  one  of  the  most  constant  grumblers  on  board. 
I  even  now  recollect  the  pleasure  I  felt  on  thus  once  more 
treading  the  firm  ground,  as,  except  for  the  short  time  I  had 
landed  on  Juan  Fernandez,  I  hadn't  set  foot  on  shore  since 
I  left  Shetland.  The  rest  of  the  seamen  seemed  greatly  to 
enjoy  their  freedom. 

As  soon  as  we  had  secured  the  boat  we  all  set  off  together, 
running  over  the  rough  black  ground,  startling  a  number  of 
strange-looking  creatures  like  lizards,  some  of  which  slid  off 
into  the  water,  others  hid  themselves  in  holes  and  crevices 
of  the  rocks. 

Jim  and  I,  however,  went  back  to  join  the  doctor,  as  we 
knew  that  he  would  want  us  to  carry  anything  he  might 
chance  to  pick  up.  The  mate,  after  the  men  had  had  a 
good  run,  called  them  to  him,  and  we  proceeded  more 


214  Peter  Trawl. 

leisufely.  The  shrubs  we  had  seen  we  found  to  be  prickly 
pears.  We  had  gone  some  distance  when  we  caught  sight 
of  some  enormous  creatures  like  tortoises.  The  doctor 
called  them  terrapins.  They  had  been  feeding  on  the  prickly 
pears,  and  were  now  leisurely  making  their  way  towards  the 
hills  which  rose  in  the  distance.  We  were  all  suffering  from 
thirst,  and  the  sun  beat  down  on  our  heads  with  a  great 
heat.  We  had  in  vain  been  looking  for  water. 

"  I'd  give  anything  for  a  mugful ! "  cried  Jim. 

"  So  would  I,"  "  And  1 1 "  echoed  several  more  of  the 
men. 

"  You  needn't  have  long  to  wait  if  you  can  catch  those 
creatures,"  said  the  doctor.  "  They'll  yield  as  much  cool 
water  as  we  want." 

We  all  set  off  running  after  the  terrapins,  which,  as  they 
didn't  move  fast,  we  soon  overtook.  As  we  got  close  to 
them  they  drew  their  heads  into  their  shells,  and  remained 
quiet. 

Homer  had  become  unusually  lively,  and  on  seeing  the 
creatures  stop  jumped  on  the  back  of  one  of  them,  when 
immediately  on  it  went  carrying  him  along  with  it.  At 
first  he  thought  it  very  good  fun,  and  began  snapping  his 
fingers  and  pretending  to  dance,  but  whilst  he  was  looking 
round  at  us  the  terrapin  carried  him  against  a  prickly  pear- 
bush,  and  over  he  went  sprawling  on  the  ground,  to  the 
great  amusement  of  the  men. 

"  Oh,  save  me !  save  me  ! "  he  shouted  out,  scarcely 
knowing  what  had  happened,  and  believing  that  the  creatures 
were  going  to  turn  upon  him  and  run  their  bills  into  his 
body. 

Jim  and  I  helped  him  up,  and  found  that  he  was  bleeding 
from  a  cut  hand  and  a  wound  inflicted  in  his  side  by  the 
point  of  one  of  the  leaves.  The  doctor,  however,  on  arriv- 
ing at  the  spot,  examined  his  hurts  and  comforted  him  by 


A  Mutiny  and  its  Consequences.         215 

the  assurance  that  there  was  not  much  the  matter,  and  that 
if  he  didn't  think  about  it  he  could  go  on  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  us. 

We  soon  again  overtook  the  terrapins,  when  the  men  who  ; 
were  armed  with  spears  ran  them  in  under  the  creatures' 
necks  and  quickly  killed  them.  We  turned  them  over,  and 
under  the  doctor's  directions,  found,  as  he  said  we  should, 
plenty  of  perfectly  cool  water  in  their  insides.  It  was  fresh 
as  if  just  out  of  the  spring.  Leaving  the  terrapins  to  carry 
back  with  us  on  our  return,  we  pushed  on  in  the  hope  of 
falling  in  with  some  more.  We  were  not  disappointed.  We 
in  a  short  time  killed  four,  as  many  as  we  could  manage  to 
carry  on  board  the  boat,  and  sufficient  to  give  us  fresh  meat 
for  several  days.  I  was  in  hopes  of  meeting  with  inhabitants, 
as  1  wanted,  wherever  I  went,  to  make  inquiries  for  Jack, 
not  knowing  where  I  might  find  him.  As  Miles  had  come 
to  the  east,  I  thought  he  might  have  found  his  way  in  the 
same  direction.  None  of  the  islands  are,  however,  inhabited, 
and  only  one  of  them,  Charles  Island,  has  a  spring  of  water, 
though  people  might  otherwise  exist  in  them  for  years. 
We  saw  a  vast  number  of  birds,  which  were  very  tame,  but 
not  a  single  four-legged  creature  besides  the  terrapins  and 
lizards.  We  had  to  make  several  trips  to  carry  the  meat  to 
the  boat.  As  we  shoved  off  we  saw  the  sea  literally  swarm- 
ing with  fish,  and  the  next  morning  the  captain  sent  in  two 
boats,  which,  in  a  short  time,  caught  as  many  as  we  could  j 
eat.  \ 

In  the  evening  we  sailed  an  i  cruised  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  islands,  during  which  time  we  added  the  oil  of  four 
whales  to  our  cargo.  We  also  met  several  other  whalers, 
from  all  of  whom  I  made  inquiries  for  Jack,  but  none  of  the 
people  I  spoke  to  had  even  heard  of  the  wreck  of  the  Helen, 
and  could  give  me  no  information.  At  length  the  crew 
begin  to  grumble  at  being  kept  so  long  at  sea,  and  we 


216  Peter   Trawl. 

sailed  for  Tumbez,  on  the  mainland,  where  we  took  in  wood 
and  water. 

When  this  task  was  accomplished  the  captain  gave  leave 
to  half  of  the  crew  to  go  ashore,  and  to  remain  away  three 
days.  On  the^r  return  the  other  half  had  liberty  granted 
them  for  the  same  time. 

I  accompanied  the  doctor.  We  went  up  the  river  some 
distance,  and  then  landing  walked  to  a  town  surrounded  by 
sand,  far  from  having  a  pleasant  look.  With  the  assistance 
of  the  doctor,  I  made  inquiries  for  Jack,  thinking  that  if  he 
belonged  to  a  whaler  he  might  have  visited  the  place  ;  but 
I  could  gain  no  intelligence  of  him.  The  night  before  we 
sailed  it  was  my  middle  watch,  and  when  it  was  over  I 
tumbled  into  my  bunk. 

I  had  been  asleep  for  some  time  when  I  was  awakened 
l>y  hearing  Horner's  voice,  exclaiming,  "  You  are  here,  then  ? 
Rouse  up  and  come  on  deck.  The  captain  is  in  a  great 
taking.  He  has  found  that  a  boat  is  missing  and  some  of 
the  hands,  and  he  declares  that  you  have  gone  with 
them." 

Slipping  into  my  clothes,  I  hurried  on  deck.  It  was  just 
daylight ;  the  captain  was  standing  aft,  looking  in  a  fearful 
rage,  while  the  second  mate  was  forward,  shouting  to  the 
men  to  come  up  and  show  themselves. 

4<  Do  you  want  me,  sir  ?  "  I  asked. 

•l  So  you  and  Jim  Pulley  have  not  taken  yourselves  off?  " 
he  exclaimed. 

"  No,  sir;  we  never  thought  of  doing  so,  and  I  gave  you 
my  word  that  I  wouldn't  desert." 

He  made  no  reply,  but  ordered  Mr.  Griffiths  to  call  over 
the  names  of  the  men.  Four  were  found  missing. 

"  Take  a  boat  and  six  men,  well  armed,  and  see  you 
bring  the  rascals  back,  alive  or  dead !  "  he  exclaimed, 
lur  ir>g  to  the  mate. 


A  Mutiny  and  its   Consequences.         2  \  7 

In  a  couple  of  minutes  the  boat  was  in  the  water  and  the 
men  were  ready,  and  Mr.  Griffiths  pulled  away. 

He  was  absent  for  some  hours.  At  last  we  saw  his  boat 
coming  back,  but  without  the  runaways.  On  reaching  the 
deck  Mr.  Griffiths  reported  that  he  had  gone  up  the  river 
and  examined  the  coast  on  either  side  of  it,  but  could  find 
no  traces  of  the  boat  or  men. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Hawkins  had  abandoned  all  hopes  of 
recovering  the  runaways  he  ordered  Mr.  Griffiths  to  go  again 
on  shore  to  try  and  pick  up  some  fresh  hands  in  their 
place,  and  I  was  sent  to  look  after  the  boat.  On  either 
side  of  the  river  as  we  pulled  up  it  we  saw  numbers  ot 
alligators  sunning  themselves  on  the  sandy  banks.  As  we 
got  near  them  they  plunged  into  the  water,  and  at  first  I 
thought  they  were  about  to  attack  the  boat. 

As  we  got  higher  up,  the  river  narrowed  and  the  trees 
bent  over  our  heads.  In  the  branches  we  could  see  num- 
bers of  monkeys  leaping  from  bough  to  bough  and  chatter- 
ing at  us.  At  last,  after  going  six  miles,  we  reached  a 
landing-place,  near  which  was  an  orange-grove  coming  close 
down  to  the  water.  Mr.  Griffiths,  taking  two  men  with  him, 
ordered  the  rest  of  us  to  remain  in  the  boat,  and  on  no 
account  to  quit  her.  Scarcely,  however,  was  he  out  of 
sight  than  the  men  declared  that  they  must  have  some 
oranges.  When  I  reminded  them  of  the  orders  I  had  re- 
ceived they  laughed  at  me,  and  one  of  them,  springing 
ashore,  ran  off  to  the  grove.  He  soon  again  appeared,  with 
a  handkerchief  in  his  hands  full  of  oranges,  and  sucking  one 
as  he  came  along.  He  was  followed  by  an  old  gentleman, 
whom  I  at  once  guessed  to  be  the  owner  of  the  orange-grove, 
and  who  came  on  till  he  reached  the  boat  He  then 
stopped  and  said  something  in  his  native  language,  which 
none  of  us  understood.  When  he  found  this  he  made  signs 
to  us  that  we  had  no  business  to  take  his  oranges  without 


218  Peter  Trawl. 

leave.  I  tried  to  explain  by  pointing  to  the  men's  mouths 
that  they  were  very  thirsty,  and  that  I  couldn't  prevent  the 
sailor  from,  taking  the  fruit.  Whether  it  was  from  my 
manner  or  looks  I  can't  say,  but  the  old  gentleman  appeared 
to  be  pleased,  and  going  back  to  an  orange-tree  picked  off 
a  quantity  of  the  fruit,  which  he  brought  to  me  in  his  own 
handkerchief,  patting  me  on  the  back  at  the  same  time,  as 
if  he  was  satisfied  with  my  explanations. 

While  sucking  away  at  the  oranges  the  men  were  kept 
quiet  All  the  time  the  monkeys  chattered  away  at  us  from 
the  neighbouring  trees,  and  an  ugly  alligator  would  now  and( 
then  poke  his  snout  out  of  the  water  to  have  a  look  at  us, 
but  the  shouts  we  raised  made  him  swim  off.  At  last  Mr. 
Griffiths  appeared  with  four  fresh  hands,  each  man  carrying 
a  bundle  containing  all  his  worldly  possessions.  As  soon  as 
they  stepped  into  the  boat  we  shoved  off,  and  gave  way 
down  the  river.  I  was  surprised  to  find  all  the  men  talk 
in  a  way  far  superior  to  that  of  common  sailors,  and  soon 
found  that  they  had  deserted  from  American  whalers,  and 
had  been,  before  they  came  to  sea,  in  good  positions,  which 
they  had  lost  by  misconduct.  The  moment  we  got  on  board, 
though  it  was  now  late  in  the.  evening,  the  captain  ordered 
the  anchor  to  be  hove  up,  and  as  the  wind  was  off  shore,  we 
stood  out  to  sea. 

We  proceeded  at  once  to  our  old  cruising  ground  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Galapagos.  "While  we  were  on  our 
way  the  new  hands  seemed  perfectly  contented,  having  little 
or  nothing  to  do.  I,  of  course,  inquired  of  them  if  they  ha  1 
heard  of  anyone  who  had  escaped  from  the  Helen,  but  they 
could  give  me  no  information.  To  my  surprise,  I  found 
that,  though  they  had  entered  in  different  names,  three  of 
them  were  brothers,  and  the  fourth  an  old  friend.  One  of 
the  brothers  appeared  to  be  a  quiet,  well-disposed  man. 

As  far  as  I  could  make  out,  he  had  come  to  sea  to  look 


A  3Ia,iny.  atid  its  Consequences.         219 

after  the  others,  and  to  try  and  keep  them  out  of  mischief, 
though  he  didn't  appear  to  have  been  very  successful,  as 
time  after  time  they  had  got  into  all  sorts  of  scrapes,  and  it 
was  a  wonder  that  they  had  escaped  with  their  lives.  On 
reaching  the  old  ground  we  fell  in  with  a  number  of  whales, 
and  had  very  hard  work,  for  scarcely  had  we  stowed  away 
the  oil  of  one  than  we  were  in  chase  of  another.  The  new 
hands  grumbled,  and  so  did  some  of  the  other-.  Of  course 
they  couldn't  complain  of  our  success  in  catching  whales, 
that  brought  them  the  work  to  do.  The  mates  knew  of 
their  grumbling,  but  took  no  notice  of  it  At  last,  one 
morning,  when  I  came  on  deck,  I  found  a  letter  lying  on 
the  companion-hatch,  addressed  to  Captain  Hawkins.  I, 
of  course,  took  it  to  him. 

"  Who  sent  this  ?  "  he  asked,  in  an  angry  tone. 

I  told  him  where  I  had  found  it,  and  that  I  knew  nothing 
more  about  the  matter. 

Tearing  it  open,  as  he  read  it  a  frown  gathered  on  his 
brow.  "  The  mutinous  rascals  !  I'll  not  yield  to  them,"  he 
exclaimed.  "  Say  nothing  about  this  till  I  come  on  deck," 
he  said  to  me.  "  Send  Mr.  Griffiths  here," 

When  the  mate  came  the  captain  read  the  letter  to  him. 
They  then  armed  themselves  and  went  on  deck,  when  the 
second  mate  was  ordered  to  muster  all  hands  aft 

"Who  wrote  this  letter?"  asked  the  captain,  in  a  firm 
tone. 

No  one  answered,  and  there  was  silence  for  some  time, 
until  the  captain  repeated  the  question. 

"  It  was  Muggins,"  at  last  said  one  of  the  men. 

Muggins  was  one  of  the  last  hands  shipped,  and  though 
a  man  of  some  education,  he  always  seemed  to  me  utterly 
worthless.  He  was  a  friend  of  the  three  brothers, 
who  went  by  the  names  of  Washington,  Crampton,  and 
Clifford. 


22O  Peter  Trawl. 

"  But  in  this  precious  letter  I  have  the  names  of  all  the 
crew,"  exclaimed  the  captain. 

Several  of  the  men  on  this  protested  that  they  knew 
nothing  about  the  letter,  and  had  not  put  their  names  to 
any  paper. 

"  Well,  then,  let  those  who  have  agreed  to  it  walk  over  to 
the  port  side,  and  those  who  wish  to  stick  to  their  duty  and 
remain  in  the  ship  go  to  the  starboard  side." 

Eight  only  walked  over,  including  those  I  have  men- 
tioned. 

On  this  Miles  Soper,  stepping  aft  and  touching  his  hat, 
said,  "  I  never  like  to  peach  on  shipmates,  but,  as  an  honest 
man,  I  can't  hold  my  tongue.  On  two  different  nights  I 
ea\v  Muggins  get  up  and  change  the  meat  and  throw  dirt  in 
among  the  bread.  One  night  he  carried  up  some  of  the 
best  pieces  and  hove  them  overboard. 

"  It's  clear  to  me  that  he  did  it  to  make  the  rest  of  us  dis- 
contented with  our  victuals.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to 
speak  about  it,  but  I  couldn't  catch  him  at  it  again,  though 
I'm  certain  he  played  the  same  trick  more  than  once  after- 
wards." 

"  I  believe  you,  Soper,"  said  the  captain,  and  at  a  signal 
from  him  the  mates  rushed  forward  and  seized  Muggins, 
whom  they  dragged  aft,  none  of  the  others  interfering.  The 
captain  then  produced  a  pair  of  handcuffs  which  he  had  got 
ready,  and  fixed  them  on  the  wrists  of  the  man.  He  then 
called  to  Homer,  Jim,  and  me  to  assist  the  mates,  and  to- 
gether we  carried  the  man  down  below  and  shut  him  up  in 
the  cabin  store-room,  the  captain  meantime  remaining  by 
himself  on  deck.  When  we  returned  we  found  that  the 
crew  hadn't  moved. 

"  Now,  lads !"  he  said;  "you  who  have  made  up  your 
minds  to  remain  in  the  ship  return  to  your  duty." 

On  this  the  men  on  the  starbrard  side  went  forward,  but 


A  Mutiny  ana  its   Consequences.         221 

the  remaining  seven  mutineers  stood  where  they  were  with 
their  arms  folded.  I  was  in  hopes  that,  as  they  were  no 
longer  under  the  influence  of  Muggins,  they  would  yield, 
but  they  would  make  no  promises.  At  length,  tired  ot 
standing  where  they  were,  they  moved  lazily  along  for- 
ward. Dr.  Cockle  told  me  that  the  captain  intended  to  put 
into  the  Marquesas,  where  he  could  get  rid  of  the  men  and 
obtain  others. 

I  found  the  next  day  that  we  were  steering  in  that 
dirt  ction.  After  this  not  one  of  them  would  do  any  work, 
though  they  were  allowed  to  remain  at  liberty.  I  fully 
expected  that  they  would  try  to  rescue  their  companion,  but 
the  captain  and  mates  kept  an  eye  on  them,  as  did  Jim 
and  I. 

It  was  tantalising  to  us  to  see  whales  every  day  and  yet 
not  to  go  in  chase  of  them,  but  the  captain  wouldn't  send 
any  boats  away  with  the  good  men  in  them  for  fear  of  what 
the  others  might  do  in  their  absence. 

At  length  we  reached  Witahoo,  one  of  the  Marquesas, 
and  brought  up  in  a  beautifully  sheltered  bay.  Had  there 
been  any  English  authorities  in  the  place  the  men  would 
have  been  imprisoned,  but  as  it  was  all  the  captain  could  do 
was  to  release  Muggins  from  his  handcuffs,  and  to  send  him 
and  the  other  men  ashore.  The  second  mate  went  in  one 
boat,  and  I  had  command  of  the  other.  The  mutineers 
were  ordered  to  get  into  them,  and  we  pulled  for  the  beach. 
Though  they  had  only  their  clothes  and  a  few  articles  put 
up  in  bundles,  they  stepped  on  shore  with  asfjaunty  an  air  as 
if  they  were  going  among  friends,  and  having  walked  a  little 
distance  they  turned  round  and  jeered  and  laughed  at  us. 

"  I  pity  you  poor  fellows  who  have  to  toil  away  on  board 
that  filthy  whaler,"  cried  Muggins.  "  It's  a  shame  that  you 
haven't  spirit  enough  to  lead  the  happy  easy  lives  we  are 
going  to  enjoy." 


L-     i. 

^|yf«h  '<"HHf   fll'Vl        :      ;TJ: 


r..  "witt  whom  int  mmmses 
v/eri  utc  irtenaa. 

inrigmr  irmr  iht  ^ZEX  Ac  oast  frrBHrftl  him, 
iit  i.  cuts! 


^ttry  igfT  )BBM1. 

±.vgrr  jar:  iii  is  iiHife'  liiai  ^wos  rmiil^  ^BE  ^SK  ttsfigasoi  i 
z  rksi  7>'iitf-  nTiiniTTj  JErom  tfis 

T~t  g  Ttyac   w!K^  -gntnggn   anil  -twHft*' 


nrrrrtriiir^r  iinssffHi  Xlif 

um,  JK  Utaiet;  ^iii  ::nt£  .and 

ittitt  i^nniiirr..  ann  HXHD  him  v?t  .Tuaiit:  out  that  L  n 


nE"  15) 

LOVI.     V'ttil    HTUMTflfl  4ROBDBB 

aae  to  4e 


_i    TITTW-    :lt5V2T    fiftffl.   SD 

XL  urn"  jarr.  u    Tut  v:rti 

SUDIKL  IRr  "WSiidUm:  ID  2£ 


Earns  m.  iioaiu,  200  'Wtriiffl  us 
3fe  ^niti  macte  ior 
Tnuiih  ID  ihs  rmHHtfnifliul  irf  ite 


Siill  ±ee  ;faafi  3Kn»i  cimvsrs,  aiifi  ia  higefl,  JTJ  thrtft,  1tt> 
m:rri.      I  tin:  IIIIL  aijmn  mj  imrthffil^a^anflaa 
I  was  ±E>  miL  -Htm.    H  :gnt  Miks  Srgasr  lt»  jlf'afjifly  Mm 
nillUlKr,     ipnf!  -fhf-   -misBiTTrorrg-   iinfljy  jTrrmiaH^    ID    : 

in  'iu  IT  it;;  iir  nin. 

^I:I   nra.  'Ji   HHJE.  ta  UU:K. 


latct  Ji  ;ni  t-vtnmii  vr.i   i;uiu 


iff  cfiffim  ^icffi  a  mmaT.i"    -juii-.r    v  in   m  .  'vi 


—     -lit    t —     ::; 


2  24  Peter  Trawl. 

escaped  him.  The  two  men  were  dead,  with  their  skulls 
fractured,  the  brains  lying  about. 

Their  "free  and  happy"  life  on  shore  had  come  speedily 
to  an  end.  Why  they  had  been  killed  it  was  difficult  to  say. 
The  doctor,  stooping  down,  felt  the  bodies. 

"  They  are  perfectly  cold,  and  must  have  been  dead  some 
time,"  he  observed.  "They  probably  had  a  quarrel  with 
some  of  the  natives,  and  were  trying  to  escape  to  the  beach 
to  cry  for  help,  when  they  were  overtaken." 

As  we  could  do  nothing  we  returned  to  the  ship,  thankful 
that  we  had  escaped  the  treachery  of  the  natives,  though,  as 
the  doctor  observed,  the  men  who  had  suffered  had  evi- 
dently brought  it  all  upon  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   CRUISE  ACROSS   THE  PACIFIC   AND   THE 
ADVENTURES  I  MET  WITH. 

ON  reaching  the  ship  we  found  that  the  captain,  the 
English  missionary,  and  the  big  old  chief,  Utatee, 
had  arrived  on  board  just  before  us.  The  doctor  at  once 
told  them  what  had  occurred. 

"  The  fellows  probably  brought  their  fate  upon  them- 
selves," said  the  captain.  "  They  must  have  provoked  the 
savages  and  got  killed  in  consequence." 

"  I'm  afraid  that  such  was  the  case,"  observed  the 
missionary;  "but  I  will  ask  the  chief  to  inquire  into  the 
matter." 

Utatee  said  he  would  do  so,  but  if  the  white  men  were 
guilty  he  could  not  undertake  to  punish  their  murderers. 

While  we  were  talking  some  of  the  crew  cried  out,  "  A 
shark !  a  shark ! "  and  sure  enough  there  was  a  huge 
creature  swimming  up  close  under  the  counter,  with  his  fin 
just  above  the  water,  his  wicked  eye  glancing  up  at  the 
ship.  The  chief  said  something  to  one  of  the  natives  who 
had  come  aboard  with  him,  a  fine  athletic  fellow,  who,  like 
the  chief,  appeared  to  be  fully  dressed  in  a  tightly- fitting 
dark  blue  silk  dress,  but  who,  in  reality,  had  only  a  loin- 
cloth round  his  waist,  fastened  by  a  girdle,  in  which  were 
stuck  a  couple  of  knives,  the  rest  of  his  body  being  perfectly 
tattooed  from  head  to  foot. 

The  man  looked  at  the  shark,  and  waiting  until  it  had 

J5 


226  Pettr  Trawl. 

gone  a  little  ahead,  overboard  he  went,  and  swam  rapidly 
up  after  it.  Presently  he  dived,  and  we  saw  the  shark 
floundering  in  the  water.  I  thought  that  he  had  turned  to 
seize  the  man,  ^f\d  that  the  blood  which  tinged  the  waves 
was  issuing  from  his  body ;  but  no,  it  was  the  shark  which 
was  wounded.  The  man  rose,  and  again  plunged  his  knife 
into  the  monster's  side.  He  did  the  same  several  times, 
and  then  towing  it  up  by  the  tail  to  the  ship,  made  signs 
for  the  bight  of  a  rope  to  be  hove  to  him.  He  passed  it 
over  the  shark's  head,  and  another  rope  being  secured  near 
the  tail,  the  monster  was  hoisted  up,  while  the  native,  with 
wonderful  agility,  climbed  on  deck,  apparently  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  exhausted  by  his  exertions. 

Immediately  after  this  we  saw  a  prodigious  commotion 
near  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  while  a  loud  sound  like  that 
of  stones  knocked  together  reached  our  ears.  We  soon 
made  out  a  number  of  people,  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  had  come  off  from  the  extreme  point  forming  one  side 
of  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  and  were  swimming  across  it, 
shouting  and  striking  together  a  couple  of  big  stones,  which 
they  held  in  their  hands.  Having  formed  in  a  line  across 
the  bay,  they  turned  and  swam  up  it,  and  we  saw  that  they 
were  driving  before  them  a  shoal  of  porpoises.  On  they 
kept  in  perfect  order,  till  the  porpoises  were  driven  right 
ashore  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  Here  a  number  of  other 
natives  met  them.  Together  they  attacked  the  creatures, 
which  they  quickly  killed.  The  missionary  told  us  that 
their  object  was  to  extract  the  teeth,  through  which  they 
make  holes  for  the  purpose  of  forming  necklaces, 

"  You'll  not  forget,  sir,  I  hope,  to  look  out  for  my  brother 
Jack,"  I  said,  as  the  missionary  was  going. 

"You  may  trust  me  for  that,  my  young  friend,"  he 
answered,  kindly ;  "  but  I  shall  not  be  long  on  these 
islands,  I  fear,  as  the  French  are  coming  to  take  possession 


A   Cruise  across  the  Pacific.  227 

of  them,  and  they'll  allow  no  Protestant  missionaries  to  live 
here." 

The  captain  had  no  wish  to  remain  for  the  purpose  of 
inquiring  into  the  death  of  the  two  seamen,  as  they  didn't 
belong  to  his  ship,  and  we  therefore  sailed  at  daybreak  the 
next  morning  for  Dominica,  the  largest  island  of  the  group, 
where  we  understood  that  we  could  obtain  a  larger  supply 
of  pork  than  we  had  obtained  at  Witatoo. 

We  quickly  came  off  that  island,  but  could  discover  only 
one  bay  into  which  we  could  safely  enter. 

As  soon  as  we  brought  up,  two  of  the  boats  were  sent 
ashore  under  charge  of  Mr.  Griffiths,  he  going  in  one,  and 
I,  with  Jim  and  Horner,  in  another. 

As  we  got  near  the  beach  we  saw  that  a  heavy  surf  was 
breaking  on  it.  Mr.  Griffiths,  however,  thought  that  we  could 
land  safely,  and  waiting  till  the  wave  had  burst,  we  dashed  on. 

Though  we  shipped  a  good  deal  of  water,  the  boats  got 
in  safely.  The  natives  being  accustomed  to  supply  whalers, 
guessing  what  we  wanted,  had  come  down  with  a  number  of 
hogs  to  sell.  The  price  for  one  was  a  bottle  of  powder,  and 
five  could  be  purchased  for  an  old  musket. 

We  had  brought  a  number  of  these  articles  for  barter. 
Mr.  Griffiths  ordered  me  to  stand  by  the  boats  while  he 
carried  on  the  trade. 

As  was  my  custom,  I  looked  about  in  the  hopes  of  seeing 
some  English  sailor  of  whom  I  might  make  inquiries  about 
my  brother  Jack. 

When  we  had  purchased  as  many  pigs  as  the  boats  would 
carry,  we  prepared  to  shove  off. 

The  natives  made  signs  to  us  that  we  had  better  be 
careful,  but  we  didn't  understand  them,  and  the  pigs  being 
put  on  board,  we  shoved  off. 

"  I'll  lead,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths.  "When  you  see  me  safe 
outside  you  can  follow,"  and  away  he  went. 


228  Peter   Trawl. 

He  got  through  one  breaker,  but  what  was  my  horror  to 
see  the  next  catch  the  boat  and  roll  her  completely  over ! 
We  knew  that  the  place  abounded  with  ground-sharks,  and 
we  expected  to  see  either  him  or  some  of  the  other  men 
carried  off  by  the  savage  creatures. 

He  was  not  a  bad  swimmer,  but,  at  the  same  time,  was 
unaccustomed  to  make  his  way  through  a  heavy  surf. 

The  rest  of  the  men  clung  to  the  boat,  but  he  attempted 
to  gain  the  shore  by  himself.  I  was  about  to  tumble  the 
pigs  out  of  my  boat,  and  to  go  off  in  her  to  his  assistance, 
when  three  of  the  natives  darted  out  through  the  foaming 
seas  towards  where  he  was  struggling.  Every  instant  I 
expected  he  would  disappear,  but  they  quickly  reached  him, 
and  supporting  him  in  their  arms,  brought  him  back  safe 
to  the  beach,  where  the  rest  of  the  men  arrived,  without 
hurt,  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

"  We  must  not  be  defeated,  lads,"  cried  out  Mr.  Griffiths, 
as  soon  as  he  had  recovered.  "We  shall  have  better 
fortune  next  time." 

The  boat  was  baled  out  and  put  to  rights,  and  the  pigs, 
which  had  swum  ashore,  being  agnin  put  in  her,  away  we 
pulled,  but  just  as  she  had  got  to  the  middle  of  the  roller 
she  broached  to  and  over  she  went 

This  time  I,  not  without  reason,  feared  that  some  of  my 
shipmates  would  be  lost,  as  I  saw  the  boat  tossing  helplessly 
in  the  breakers,  but  presently  she  came  driving,  with  all 
hands  and  the  pigs,  at  a  rapid  rate  towards  the  beach, 
where  the  natives  received  them,  looking  as  if  nothing 
unusual  had  occurred. 

Still  undaunted,  Mr.  Griffiths  determined  once  more  to 
make  the  attempt,  and  the  next  time  succeeded.  I  waited 
until  the  largest  roller,  which  I  had  carefully  noted,  had 
passed,  and  my  men  giving  way,  we  got  through,  although 
the  boat  was  nearly  half  full  of  water. 


A  Cruise  across  the  Pacific.  229 

We  carried  the  pigs  on  board,  but  after  this,  at  the 
suggestion  of  one  of  the  natives,  we  anchored  the  boats  a 
short  distance  from  the  shore  by  letting  him  dive  down  and 
make  fast  a  cable  to  the  coral  at  the  bottom. 

The  natives  then  swam  off  to  us  with  the  pigs  and  the 
cocoa-nuts  which  we  bought  of  them,  without  making  any 
additional  charge  for  their  trouble ;  indeed,  to  them  it 
seemed  a  matter  of  course.  We  could  obtain  no  yams, 
but  we  got  instead  some  enormous  plantains,  which  served 
us  instead  of  potatoes.  As  we  could  bring  off  but  a  few 
pigs  at  a  time  it  was  rather  a  long  business,  and  we  had 
then  to  skin  and  salt  them  down. 

The  wind  changing,  and  the  surf  no  longer  breaking  at 
the  end  of  the  bay,  we  were  able  to  land  without  difficulty. 
I  had  one  day  accompanied  the  doctor,  who  took  only  three 
other  men  to  pull  the  boat  As  he  wished  to  botanise  and 
obtain  some  shells  and  other  productions  of  the  island,  the 
men  went  with  him  to  carry  what  could  be  got,  while  I 
remained  by  the  boat  to  prevent  the  natives  from  stealing 
the  lead  and  gear  belonging  to  her. 

Before  long  two  or  three  old  women  came  down  to  the 
beach  and  began  talking  to  me  by  signs,  for  words  were  of 
no  use.  Then  others  joined  them.  They  took  hold  of  my 
hands  and  seemed  to  be  admiring  my  complexion  and 
examining  my  clothes.  As  far  as  I  could  make  out  they 
wanted  me  to  accompany  them  to  their  village.  When 
I  refused,  for  of  course  I  was  not  going  to  neglect  my  duty 
and  leave  the  boat,  they  grew  angry,  and  at  last  several  of 
them  seized  me  by  the  arms  and  were  attempting  to  drag 
me  off.  I  struggled  violently,  and  shouted  out  at  the  top 
of  my  voice,  but  they  didn't  seem  to  mind  that. 

As  they  were  very  strong  I  was  completely  in  their  power, 
and  I  fully  believed  that  I  should  be  carried  off,  when  I 
caught  sight  of  a  man  running  towards  the  boat  He 


230  Ptter   Ttawl. 

proved  to  be  one  of  our  crew  who  had  been  sent  back  by 
the  doctor  for  something  he  had  left.  When  he  saw  what 
was  taking  place,  holding  his  musket  in  his  hand,  he  rushed 
towards  the  old  women,  who  let  me  go  and  scampered  off. 

"  It's  lucky  for  you,  Peter,  that  they  didn't  succeed  in 
getting  you  away,"  he  said.  "  They  would  have  tattooed 
you  all  over  and  turned  you  into  a  nigger  and  made  you 
marry  one  of  their  girls.  I'll  stay  by  you,  for  the  chances 
are  they  may  come  back  and  try  again  to  make  you  a 
prisoner.  The  doctor  must  manage  to  do  without  his 
spud." 

When  Dr.  Cockle  returned,  though  at  first  he  began  to 
scold  the  man,  when  he  heard  why  he  remained  he  told 
him  he  was  right.  At  all  events,  had  the  natives  carried  me 
off  it  might  have  caused  a  deal  of  trouble  to  recover  me. 

Sailing  from  the  Marquesas  we  gradually  worked  our  way 
westward  towards  the  Society  Islands,  catching  a  few 
whales,  till  we  arrived  at  Totillah,  one  of  the  Samoa  group. 

The  scenery  was  magnificent,  while  everywhere  the 
country  was  covered  with  beautiful  trees,  among  them  the 
pandamus  palm,  the  tree-fern,  the  banyan,  the  bread-fruit 
tree,  wild  nutmeg,  and  superb  bamboos.  The  natives  also 
were  very  well-behaved  and  quiet,  and  were  always  inclined 
to  treat  us  hospitably.  Indeed,  we  might  have  travelkd 
without  the  slightest  risk  from  one  end  of  the  island  to 
the  other.  The  good  behaviour  of  the  inhabitants  was  the 
result  of  their  having  become  Christians  owing  to  the  inde- 
fatigable exertions  of  missionaries.  It  was  here  that  John 
Williams,  the  great  apostle  to  the  Pacific  heathen,  spent 
several  years.  Not  far  off  from  where  we  lay  at  anchor  was 
Leoni  Bay,  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of  the  French 
navigau  r  Perouse  and  his  companions.  While  we  were 
)v  re  two  of  the  men  we  lad  o'  tainecl  ran  off.  Two  others 
were  ss.l.ipned  in  ihdr  stead.  One  \A  r.em,  who  called 


A   Cruise  across  the  Pacific.  231 

himself  John  Brown,  as  he  stepped  on  deck  seemed  to  me 
a  remarkably  fine  fellow.  He  had  belonged  to  a  whaler 
which  had  been  wrecked  some  time  before,  and  he  had 
remained  behind  while  the  rest  of  the  crew  went  on  to 
Sydney. 

I  immediately  asked  him  the  question  which  I  put  to 
everybody.  "  Do  you  know  anything  of  a  young  fellow 
named  Jack  Trawl  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  heard  of  the  name,"  he 
said,  "  but  when  or  where  I  can't  say.  When  did  you  last 
get  news  of  him  ?  " 

"  He  was  wrecked  in  the  Helen,  and  was  last  seen  in  one 
of  her  boats  when  the  crews  were  making  their  escape  from 
the  savages,"  I  answered. 

"  Then  perhaps  I  may  help  you  a  little,"  he  said.  "  Some 
time  ago  we  fell  in  with  a  whaler  and  we  were  talking  to 
her  crew.  At  last,  as  we  were  going  to  shove  off,  one  of 
the  men  said  that  he  had  been  on  board  the  Helen,  and 
he  knew  for  certain  two  of  her  boats  had  got  safely  to 
Timor,  but  what  became  of  the  others  he  couldn't  tell." 

I  naturally  asked  which  of  the  boats  had  reached  Timor, 
and  whether  the  captain's  was  one  of  them,  but  he  could 
not  say,  and  I  was  obliged  to  rest  satisfied  with  this  infor- 
mation. It  gave  me  fresh  hopes  that  Jack  was  alive. 

I  have  not  described  the  bay  in  which  we  lay.  It  was 
very  deep  and  narrow,  and  might  rather  have  been  called  a 
gulf.  Just  as  we  got  under  way  the  wind  came  right  in, 
and  we  had  either  to  anchor  again  or  work  out.  The 
captain  decided  to  do  the  latter.  Two  boats  were  sent 
ahead  to  tow  the  ship  round,  the  rest  of  the  crew  were  at 
their  stations.  Not  a  word  was  spoken,  for  we  all  saw  that 
we  had  no  easy  task  to  perform.  As  we  went  about,  first 
on  one  tack  then  on  the  other,  we  each  time  gained  but 
little  ground. 


232  Peter  Trawl. 

At  last,  as  we  were  just  again  going  aboil*-,  a  puff  of  wind 
drove  her  right  ashore  on  a  coral  reef.  In  vain  the  men  in 
the  two  boats  endeavoured  to  pull  her  round.  The  captain 
and  both  the  mates  gave  her  up  for  lost,  and  the  crew 
seemed  to  think  the  same,  but  Brown,  who  was  looking 
round  everywhere,  called  me,  and  we  hauled  away  at  the 
fore  brace.  The  foretopsail  filled  with  a  flaw  of  wind  which 
came  off  the  shore,  and  away  the  ship  went,  the  wind 
favouring  us  till  we  were  clear  out  of  the  bay.  It  was  one 
of  the  narrowest  escapes  from  shipwreck  I  ever  had. 

The  next  land  we  made  was  "  Boscawen  "  and  "  Keppel " 
Islands,  the  former  being  a  high  peak,  the  latter  a  low, 
level  island.  We  here  landed  to  obtain  provisions,  among 
which  we  got  some  of  the  finest  yams  I  ever  saw.  The 
natives  were  good-looking,  friendly  people. 

We  continued  on  to  the  north-west,  and  made  the  "  Duke 
of  Clarence  "  Island,  which  has  no  land  within  four  hundred 
miles  of  it.  The  captain  said  that  he  -had  touched  there 
years  before,  but  that  it  was  uninhabited.  As  we  were 
nearing  it,  however,  a  number  of  natives  came  off  in  large 
canoes  loaded  with  cocoa-nuts  and  fruits,  so  that  they  or 
their  fathers  must  have  made  a  long  voyage  to  reach  it  in 
their  frail-looking  vessels. 

Thence  we  proceeded  to  the  Kingsmill  group,  of  which 
Byron's  Island  is  the  largest  The  men,  who  were  heathens, 
were  quite  naked,  but  the  women  wore  small  aprons  of 
seaweed.  They  didn't  tattoo  themselves,  but  many  of  them 
had  their  skins  rough  and  hanging  in  flakes,  which  gave 
them  a  most  repulsive  appearance.  This  was  in  consequence 
of  their  spending  much  of  their  time  in  the  water. 

They  were  savage  not  only  in  their  appearance  but  in 
their  customs,  for  we  heard  that  to  prevent  overcrowding, 
as  they  cannot  provide  sufficient  food  for  a  large  population, 
they  kill  their  infant  children. 


A   Cruise  across  the  Pacific.  233 

Such  were  the  people  of  all  these  islands,  however  hand- 
some in  appearance,  before  the  missionaries  went  among 
them.  Many  of  them  had  terrible  wounds,  produced  in 
their  battles  with  each  other,  either  by  their  spears  or  clubs, 
which  are  covered  with  sharks'  teeth. 

We  didn't  see  the  land  till  we  were  within  about  ten  miles 
of  it,  as  it  is  very  low,  being  of  coral  formation.  Its  only 
vegetable  production  is  the  cocoa-nut  tree,  which  is  of  the 
greatest  value  to  the  natives.  They  build  their  huts  of  the 
trunks  and  roof  them  with  the  leaves.  Their  canoes  are 
composed  of  numerous  pieces  of  the  wood  sewn  together 
with  cocoa  nut  fibre.  The  form  of  these  canoes,  which  are 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  long,  is  curious  ;  the  shape 
is  that  of  a  whale  boat  cut  in  two  lengthways ;  one  side  is 
round,  and  the  other  perfectly  flat,  and  they  are  kept  up- 
right by  having  an  outrigger  to  windward  which  extends 
about  ten  feet  from  the  hull.  The  sail  is  triangular  and 
made  of  matting,  and  in  fine  weather  they  can  beat  to 
windward  with  the  fastest  ship. 

We  here  spent  several  months,  occasionally  touching  at 
Byron's  Island  for  fresh  cocoa-nuts  and  water.  We  had 
caught  nineteen  whales,  when  towards  the  evening  of  one 
day  a  twentieth  was  seen  at  a  considerable  distance. 

"  We  must  have  that  fellow,"  said  the  captain. 

The  boats  were  lowered  ;  he  went  in  one,  Mr.  Griffiths  in 
another,  and  Mr.  Harvey,  the  second  mate,  in  a  third. 
Another  whale  appeared  much  nearer,  but  in  a  somewhat 
different  direction.  While  Mr.  Griffiths  pulled  for  the 
first,  the  captain  and  the  second  mate  made  for  the  second. 
Both  were  to  windward.  We  had  a  light  breeze,  and  at 
once  began  to  beat  up  after  them. 

Just  before  sundown  we  found  that  the  captain  and  the 
second  mate  had  made  fast.  It  took  some  time  before  the 
whale  was  killed,  and  we  could  scarcely  perceive  the  whitt 


234  Ptter   Trawl. 

planted  on  its  back  before  darkness  came  on.  We  had,  in 
the  meantime,  lost  sight  of  Mr.  Griffiths's  boat,  but  we  hoped 
that  he  would  be  equally  successful.  We  made  tack  after 
tack  till  we  got  up  to  the  whale,  which  two  boats  were 
towing  towards  us.  We  burned  a  blue  light  to  show  the 
first  mate  our  position,  but  looked  in  vain  for  an  answering 
signal  At  last  the  captain,  being  anxious  at  his  non  appear- 
ance, and  fearing  that  some  accident  must  have  happened, 
ordered  the  second  mate  to  hang  on  to  the  whale  while  he 
beat  the  ship  up  in  the  direction  Mr.  Griffiths's  boat  had 
taken.  The  hours  went  by  and  the  wind  increased  and  the 
sea  got  up. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  Harvey  will  hang  on 
under  the  lee  of  the  whale  even  if  it  does  come  on  to  blow 
harder,  and  he'll  be  safe  enough." 

At  last,  at  about  half-an-hour  to  midnight,  we  made  out  a 
faint  light  dead  to  windward.  It  took  us  some  time  to  get 
up  to  it,  for,  though  we  were  sure  it  must  come  from  the 
mate's  boat,  it  didn't  approach  us. 

As  we  got  near  we  could  distinguish  the  people  hanging 
to  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  one  of  them  sitting  astride  of  her 
and  holding  up  a  lantern.  We  immediately  hove  to,  and 
lowered  a  boat  to  take  them  on  board.  It  then  appeared 
that  the  boat  had  been  stove  in  by  a  whale,  when  the  mate 
and  his  men  clung  on  to  her,  the  whale  fortunately  not 
molesting  them. 

The  boat's  lantern  is  always  headed  up  tight  in  a  keg, 
together  with  a  tinder-box  and  candles,  and  having  pro- 
videntially secured  the  keg,  they  managed  to  open  it,  get  out 
the  lantern,  and  strike  a  light  We  might  othenvise  have 
passed  them  in  the  dark,  and  they  would  all  probably  have 
perished,  as  we  should  have  run  back  to  pick  up  Mr. 
Harvey's  boat  and  the  whale  we  had  killed.  We  now  did 
so  at  once,  and  a  hard  night's  work  we  had  of  it  as  we  had 


A    C'inse  across  the  Pacific.  235 

to  secure  the  whale  alongside,  and  get  ready  for  cutting  in 
as  soon  as  it  was  day. 

Soon  after  this,  while  I  was  aloft,  I  saw  Jim,  who  had  just 
been  relieved  at  the  wheel,  go  to  the  side,  and,  throwing  off 
his  clothes,  jump  overboard.  It  was  what  we  often  did, 
always  taking  care  to  leave  a  rope  overboard  to  get  up  by, 
to  get  rid  of  the  soot  and  grease,  besides  which,  as  we  were 
close  under  the  line,  the  weather  was  very  hot,  and  a  bath 
refreshing. 

Jim  swam  some  way  ahead  of  the  ship,  when  the  cook,  to 
play  him  a  trick,  hauled  up  his  rope,  which  I  didn't  perceive, 
as  I  was  looking  at  Jim.  Just  then  I  caught  sight  of  the  fin 
of  a  shark  at  no  great  distance  off.  I  shouted  to  Jim  to 
come  back,  and  he,  knowing  that  I  should  not  give  a  false 
alarm,  struck  out  lustily  for  the  ship.  Mr.  Griffiths,  who 
was  on  deck,  seeing  his  danger,  at  once  hove  him  another 
rope,  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  keep  the  shark 
off.  Still  the  monster  came  nearer  and  nearer.  I  saw  Jim, 
to  my  great  relief,  get  up  to  the  side,  but  as  he  took  hold  of 
the  rope,  from  its  being  covered  with  grease,  it  slipped 
through  his  fingers.  The  mate  shouted  to  the  other  men  on 
deck  to  come  and  assist  him  in  hauling  Jim  up.  I  slul 
down  on  deck  as  fast  as  I  could.  On  came  the  shark.  Jim 
was  still  in  the  water,  and  I  expected  to  see  my  old  friend 
caught. 

With  all  our  strength  we  hauled  at  the  rope,  but  still  Jim 
couldn't  hold  on  by  it,  and  I  feared  that  it  would  slip 
through  his  fingers  altogether,  when,  as  it  turned  out,  there 
was  a  knot  at  the  end.  This  enabled  him  to  hold  on.  and 
we  hauled  him  up,  more  dead  than  alive  from  fright,  just  as 
the  shark,  showing  the  white  of  its  belly,  shoved  its  snout 
out  of  the  water  and  made  a  snap  at  his  feet,  not  six  inches 
from  them. 

Jim  was  saved,  and  I  never  in  my  life  ft  It  more  inclined 


236  Peter  Trawl. 

to  cry  for  joy  than  when  I  saw  him  out  of  danger.  While 
the  shark  was  still  alongside  looking  for  its  prey,  one  of  the 
Marquesas  islanders  who  came  on  deck,  taking  a  knife  in 
his  hand,  leapt  right  down,  feet  first,  on  the  monster's  back, 
which  so  scared  it  that  away  it  went  like  a  flash  of  lightning. 

I  have  mentioned  these  circumstances  just  as  they 
occurred  to  show  the  sort  of  life  led  by  the  crew  of  a  whaler. 
I  have  more  interesting  events  to  narrate  in  the  following 
chapters. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
A  TYPHOON',  AND  HO  W  WE  GOT  THROUGH  IT. 

r  I  "'HE  crew  of  a  whaler  had  need  to  exercise  much 
_L  patience.  Sometimes  they  watch  for  weeks  and  weeks 
together,  but  watch  in  vain,  for  fish.  At  others  so  many 
are  caught  that  they  have  not  a  moment  to  rest  between  the 
time  that  one  is  tryed  out  and  another  is  brought  alongside. 

We  had  at  first  been  very  successful,  but  a  week  or  more 
having  passed  without  a  whale  being  seen,  Captain  Hawkins 
ordered  a  course  to  be  steered  for  the  Japan  whaling  ground. 
The  very  first  day  that  we  arrived  in  the  latitude  of  these 
islands,  which  were,  however,  far  out  of  sight,  we  caught 
two  whales. 

We  had  tryed  out  the  first  and  had  the  other  alongside 
when  another  whaler  made  her  appearance.  As  she  got 
within  half  a  mile  of  us  it  feel  calm.  Soon  afterwards  a 
boat  was  lowered  from  her,  which  came  pulling  towards  us. 
When  she  came  alongside  a  fine,  hale-looking  old  man 
stepped  onboard  and  introduced  himself  as  Captain  Barne'.t, 
of  the  Eleanor.  He  spoke  in  a  hearty,  cheery  tone,  which 
contrasted  greatly  with  the  rough  and  unpleasant  way  in 
which  Captain  Hawkins  generally  expressed  himself. 

Captain  Barnett  dined  on  board,  and. then  invited  Captain 
Hawkins  and  Dr.  Cockle  to  come  and  sup  with  him.  I 
managed  to  address  the  old  gentleman,  and  told  him 
about  Jack. 


238  Peter  Trawl. 

"  Should  I  ever  fall  in  with  your  brother  111  say  that  I 
met  you;  and  that  you  were  inquiring  for  him,"  he  answered, 
kindl)\ 

When  the  two  captains  came  on  deck  they  took  a  look 
round  the  horizon. 

"  You  must  excuse  me  from  accompanying  you,"  said 
Captain  Hawkins,  "  for  I  tell  you  what,  I  don't  like  the  look 
of  the  weather.  There's  something  brewing  somewhere. 
I'd  advise  you  to  get  on  board  as  soon  as  you  can." 

The  ocean  had  hitherto  been  perfectly  calm,  but  there 
now  came  from  the  north-east  a  slowly-heaving  swell,  which 
every  minute  increased,  and  the  whole  atmosphere  in  a 
short  time  assumed  a  sombre,  melancholy  appearance,  while 
a  peculiar  light  tinged  the  two  ships  and  sea  around,  owing 
to  the  sun's  rays  passing  through  clouds  of  a  dull  yellowi^h- 
red  colour.  Before  this,  numbers  of  birds  had  been  flying 
about  the  ship,  but  they  now  winged  their  way  to  distant 
lands.  As  soon  as  our  visitor  had  pulled  away,  our  captain 
ordered  the  hands  aloft  to  shorten  sail,  although  at  the 
time  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind. 

Everything  was  taken  in  with  the  exception  of  a  main 
topsail  and  storm  trysail. 

As  the  swell  increased,  the  ship  began  to  roll  in  a  most 
f-ightful  manner,  her  chain- plates  striking  the  water  every 
time  she  heeled  over,  while  the  water  as  it  rose  beat  against 
the  stern  with  a  force  so  violent  that  we  were  almost  thrown 
off  our  legs. 

We  had  to  cast  adrift  the  last  whale  caught  before  the 
whole  blubber  was  cut  in,  as  it  was  impossible,  without 
the  greatest  risk,  to  keep  it  alongside. 

I  asked  Brown,  who  was  the  most  intelligent  seaman  on 
board,  what  he  thought  was  going  to  happen. 

"We  shall  have  a  typhoon — a  precious  hard  one  too. 
I  suspect,''  he  answered. 


A   Typhoon,  and  how  We  got  through  It.      239 

All  night  long  the  swell  went  on  increasing,  when  sud- 
denly the  wind  sprang  up  and  broke  the  hitherto  calm 
swells  into  foaming  seas,  which  furiously  dashed  round  the 
ship  though  they  did  us  no  damage. 

Just  as  daylight  came  on  the  wind  again  dropped ;  but 
though  the  wind  had  fallen,  the  sea,  instead  of  going  down, 
raged  more  fiercely  than  ever,  making  the  ship  roll  so 
violently  that  we  feared  that  at  any  moment  the  masts  might 
be  carried  away.  Yet  all  this  time  there  was  scarcely  a 
breath  of  wind.  This  state  of  things  continued  till  about 
three  o'clock,  when  suddenly,  as  Brown  had  foretold,  the 
gale  again  broke  upon  us,  and  continued  to  blow  with  in- 
creasing violence  until  about  two  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning,  when  a  more  furious  blast  than  ever  struck  the  ship. 

"  Hold  on  for  your  lives  ! "  shouted  Mr.  Griffiths,  who 
was  on  deck. 

The  captain,  followed  by  Dr.  Cockle,  hurried  from  below. 
There  was  little  need  to  give  the  warning ;  we  all  clung  to 
the  weather-bulwarks.  Over  went  the  ship  right  on  her  beam- 
ends,  and  away  flew  the  storm  trysail,  while  every  article 
not  securely  lashed  was  carried  away.  Fearful  indeed 
was  the  uproar.  The  wind  howled  savagely,  the  sea  dashed 
with  thundering  roars  against  the  sides  of  the  ship,  the 
masts  groaned,  the  bulkheads  creaked,  the  ropes  and  blocks 
clashed  together  and  rattled  in  a  way  I  had  never  before 
heard.  Indeed,  I  believed  that  our  last  moments  had  come, 
for  it  seemed  impossible  unless  the  masts  went  that  the  ship 
would  right.  Jim  and  I  and  Horner  crouched  down  close 
to  each  other,  sheltering  ourselves  as  we  could  under  the 
bulwarks.  Not  far  off  were  Miles  Soper,  Sam  Coal, 
and  Brown. 

"  Is  there  any  chance  for  us  ?  "  asked  Horner,  his  teeth 
chattering  and  his  voice  showing  his  terror. 

"  Chance  ! "  answered  Brown  ;   '•  the  chance  that  many  a 


240  Peter  Trawl. 

stout  ship  has  braved  as  bad  a  hurricane,  and  yet  come  out 
of  it  not  much  the  worse." 

We  looked  out  for  the  Eleanor,  but  she  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen.  Some  of  the  men  declared  that  she  must  have 
gone  down. 

"  We're  afloat  and  why  shouldn't  she  be  ? "  said  Brown, 
who  was  ready  to  cheer  every  one  up. 

Some  of  the  hands  stole  below,  and  I  believe  if  they 
could  have  got  into  the  spirit-room  they  would  have  made 
themselves  drunk  in  order  to  forget  their  fears.  Most  of 
us,  however,  preferred  remaining  on  deck  and  watching 
what  would  happen. 

Suddenly,  during  a  momentary  cessation  of  the  wind, 
the  ship  righted,  and  we  flew  on  before  it,  though  matters 
in  other  respects  seemed  but  little  mended.  As  the  sea 
beat  against  the  ship  it  seemed  like  a  huge  battering-ram 
trying  to  knock  her  to  pieces,  every  blow  making  each 
plank  shake  though  none  gave  way.  Now  she  plunged  her 
head  into  an  immense  hollow,  now  she  rose  rapidly  to  the 
top  of  a  foaming  sea,  while  the  next  instant  another  rolling 
on  threatened  to  overwhelm  us. 

Daylight  came,  but  it  brought  no  cessation  of  the 
hurricane.  The  hours  went  by ;  not  one  of  us  thought  of 
breakfast.  Indeed,  it  was  impossible  to  cook  anything. 
We  watched  the  masts  quivering  as  the  ship  plunged  into 
the  seas,  and  we  expected  every  moment  to  see  them  go  by 
the  board.  The  carpenter  and  the  first  mate  had  got  their 
axes  ready  to  cut  them  away,  should  such  occur.  At  length 
a  tremendous  sea  came  roaring  towards  our  weather  bow. 
The  ship  struggled  as  if  to  avoid  it,  but  she  pitched  head- 
long into  the  deep  hollow  just  before  her,  and  a  monstrous 
sea,  lifting  its  head  half  way  up  to  the  foretop,  came  right  down 
on  our  deck,  sweeping  up  to  the  main  hatchway.  Horner 
and  several  of  the  men  shrieked  out  with  terror,  believing 


A  Typhoon,  and  how  We  got  through  It.     24 1 

that  their  last  moments  were  come.  I  scarcely  supposed 
that  the  ship  would  recover  herself,  but  suddenly  she  came 
up  with  a  jerk,  the  bowsprit  carried  away,  and  the  next 
moment  it  came  right  across  our  forecast'e. 

"  Rouse  up,  lads,  and  secure  the  foremast,"  shouted  the 
aptain. 

Led  by  the  mates,  with  Brown,  Ringold,  Soper,  Jim,  and 
me,  the  crew  rushed  forward  to  secure  the  fore-topmast  stay. 
We  then  got  the  bowsprit  inboard.  Afcer  this  the  ship  began 
to  ride  more  easily,  though  the  hurricane  continued  until 
near  sunset,  when  it  began  to  abate.  The  watch  below 
turned  in,  eager  to  get  some  rest.  I  never  slept  more 
soundly  in  my  life.  Next  morning  the  sun  rose  from  a 
cloudless  sky.  A  gentle  breeze  was  blowing.  The  sea  had 
already  gone  down,  and  in  a  few  hours  sparkling  wavelets 
alone  played  over  the  surface  of  the  deep 

Two  days  afterwards  we  brought  up  under  the  lee  of  South 
Island  to  repair  damages.  After  this  we  again  sailed  to 
resume  our  search  for  whales. 

I  was  forward,  when  I  saw  a  dark  object  floating  some 
distance  on  the  weather  bow.  On  my  reporting  it  to  the 
captain,  he  ordered  a  boat  to  be  lowered  to  ascertain  what 
it  was.  Mr.  Griffiths  went  in  her  with  the  doctor,  Jim  and 
I  forming  part  of  the  crew.  As  we  got  near  we  saw  that  it 
was  a  creature  of  some  sort,  but  it  made  no  effort  to  avoid 
us,  and  seemed  to  be  fast  asleep.  With  his  harpoon  Mr. 
Griffiths  went  forward.  As  we  got  closer  it  seemed  to  be  an 
enormous  turtle  \  the  doctor  said  of  the  "  trunk"  species. 

We  paddled  as  noiselessly  as  we  could  for  fear  of  waking 
it,  and  QH  getting  close  Mr.  Griffiths  plunged  his  harpoon 
deep  into  its  body  through  its  shell.  The  creature  in  a 
moment  was  lively  enough,  and,  after  swimming  away  a 
short  distance,  turned  and  made  a  snap  at  the  rope,  which 
it  nearly  bit  in  two.  We  were  up  to  it  again,  however,  and 

16 


242  Peter  Trawl. 

two  or  three  plunges  of  a  lance  quickly  finished  it.  We 
then  secured  a  rope  to  it  and  towed  it  to  the  ship.  By 
means  of  the  windlass  it  was  hoisted  on  board.  When 
lying  on  deck  it  was  found  to  measure  seventeen  feet  in 
length,  to  be  seven  feet  wide,  and  four  feet  six  inches  in 
depth.  All  on  board  declared  that  they  had  never  seen  a 
creature  of  that  species  of  the  same  size.  We  boiled  it 
down  as  we  would  the  blubber  of  a  whale,  and  it  yielded 
nearly  a  barrelful.  Fish  in  these  seas  are  very  numerous. 
Sometimes  from  the  masthead  I  could  see  the  whole  ocean 
alive  with  them. 

Before  leaving  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  for  which  we 
were  next  bound,  we  had  a  day's  fishing,  and  in  a  few  hours 
caught  as  many  as  we  wanted.  I  here  also  saw  numbers  of 
the  paper  nautilus  floating  on  the  calm  surface  of  the  water. 
I  managed,  with  a  small  net  at  the  end  of  a  long  pole,  to 
carch  several  for  my  friend  the  doctor. 

I'll  not  describe  our  voyage  back  to  Honolulu,  the  capital 
of  the  Society  Islands.  There  were  two  or  three  merchant- 
men and  about  forty  whalers  at  anchor.  The  entrance  to 
the  harbour  is  surrounded  by  coral  reefs,  and  is  very  intricate. 
The  chief  pilot  came  out  in  his  whale-boat,  manned  by 
natives,  and  as  he  passed  each  ship  he  hailed  to  have  a  boat 
sent  him  to  assist  in  towing  us  in.  In  a  short  time  we  had 
nearly  fifty  whale-boats,  twenty- five  on  each  bow,  in  two 
long  lines.  It  was  one  of  the  prettiest  sights  I  ever 
witnessed,  towing  on  the  big  ship  at  the  rate  of  about  three 
knots  an  hour  between  the  coral  reefs,  making  what  would 
otherwise  have  been  a  difficult  business  perfectly  easy. 
Here  we  exchanged  the  fish  we  had  salted  down  for  fifty 
barrels  of  potatoes  and  twenty  of  onions.  Among  the  ships 
w?s  the  Eleawr,  from  which  we  had  pirted  off  Japan.  As 
the  old  captain  tyxd  greatly  tr=ken  Dr.  Cockle's  fancy,  he 
wished  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and  invited  me  to  accompany  him. 


A  Typhoon,  and  how  We.  got  through  It.     243 

On  getting  on  board  the  mate  said  that  he  was  below,  and 
considering  all  things,  doing  wonderfully  well.  • 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Cockle. 

"Why,  sir,  I'll  tell  you,"  answered  the  mate.  "  If  I  ever 
saw  a  wonderful  thing  done,  our  captain  did  it  While  the 
typhocu  which  caught  you  as  well  as  us  was  at  its  height 
our  rudder  broke  adrift,  and  on  getting  it  on  board  to 
repair,  it  came  right  down  on  his  leg,  crushing  it  fearfully. 
We  all  thought  he  must  have  died,  for  you  see  our  doctor 
had  left  the  ship  some  time  before,  and  there  was  no  one 
who  knew  what  was  to  be  done.  So  our  skipper  sat  down 
on  the  deck  and  ordered  the  carpenter  to  bring  him  the 
surgical  instruments.  Our  carpenter  is  a  wonderfully  clever 
fellow,  and  between  them  they  managed  to  saw  off  the  leg 
below  the  knee,  to  take  up  the  arteries  and  stop  the  bked- 
ing.*  We  then  got  the  old  man,  who  is  sixty  years  of  age, 
into  bed.  Would  you  believe  it  ?  In  a  few  weeks  after  the 
accident  he  had  a  turning-lathe  brought  to  the  side  of  his 
bed,  and  if  he  didn't  turn  out  a  first-rate  wooden  leg  for 
himself." 

On  going  below  the  doctor  found  the  old  captain  doing 
wonderfully  well  and  not  requiring  any  further  aid.  Before 
we  left  he  was  stumping  about  on  deck  as  hearty  and  cheery 
as  ever.  Indeed,  through  his  courage  and  coolness  he  had 
undoubtedly  saved  his  own  life. 

The  old  captain  probably  is  dead,  but  Mr.  Rosden,  the 
mate,  who  is  the  son  of  an  old  Downs  pilot,  will  confirm 
the  account  I  have  given. 

The  captain  was  constantly  on  shore,  and  Mr.  Griffiths 
kindly  let  me  take  one  of  the  boats,  with  Jim,  and  Soper, 
and  Coal  as  a  crew,  and  we  visited  every  ship  in  ihe  harbour, 
that  I  might  make  inquiries  for  Jack.  As  we  pulled  about, 

*  This  account  is  true  in  every  respect.  My  friend,  Mr.  Henry 
Foster,  Trinity  pilot,  vouches  for  it. 


244  Peter  Trawl. 

though  disappointed  at  one  ship,  we  half  hoped  to  find  him 
on  board  another.  My  heart  grew  sick  as  I  approached 
the  last. 

"  Do  you  think  he's  aboard  her,  Miles  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  If  he  isn't  don't  lose  heart,"  was  the  answer. 

"  No,  no,  don't  lose  heart,  Peter,"  echoed  Jim.  "  He'll 
turn  up  some  time  or  other.  It  mayn't  be  to  day  or  it 
mayn't  be  to-morrow,  but  if  he's  alive — and  there's  no 
reason  why  he  should  have  lost  his  life — he'll  be  somewhere 
no  doubt,  and  you'll  be  led  to  him,  that's  my  opinion." 

We  got  on  board  the  ship.  She  was  an  American  whaler, 
the  William  and  Eliza.  We  found  the  crew  in  a  great  state 
of  commotion,  and  they  would  scarcely  listen  to  what  I  had 
to  say.  Their  commander,  Captain  Rogers,  who  seemed  to 
be  a  great  favourite  with  them,  had  been  wrongly  accused 
of  infringing  the  revenue  laws,  and  had  been  imprisoned  in 
a  mud  fort  which  guarded  the  landing-place,  and  they  were 
determined  to  rescue  him. 

Most  of  their  boats  were  away  visiting  the  other  ships  to 
obtain  recruits,  and  they  declared  that  if  he  was  not  let  out 
that  evening  they  would  liberate  him  before  morning. 

I,  of  course,  could  not  join  them,  but  Soper  and  Coal 
were  very  eager  to  lend  a  hand.  I  persuaded  them,  how- 
ever, to  come  back  with  me  to  our  ship  after  I  had  made  all 
the  inquiries  I  could  for  Jack  without  success. 

Miles  and  Coal  brought  the  news,  and  what  was  to  be 
done  on  board,  and  several  of  our  men  declared  that  they 
would  join,  as  much  for  the  sake  of  the  spree  as  influenced 
by  a  regard  for  Captain  Rogers. 

As  evening  drew  in,  a  number  of  boats  put  off  from  all 
the  American  ships,  and  from  several  of  the  English,  for  the 
imprisoned  skipper  was  much  liked,  not  only  by  his  own 
men,  but  by  the  captains  and  mates  of  nearly  all  the  whaling 
ships.  He  was  a  great  fritnd,  too,  I  found,  of  Captain 


A  Typhoon,  and  how  We  got  through  It.     245 

Hawkins.  When  the  captain  came  on  board  again,  he  gave 
any  of  us  leave  to  go  that  chose.  I  don't  say  we  were  right, 
but  when  1  found  the  second  mate  about  to  lead  a  party  of 
our  men,  Jim  and  I  offered  to  go  with  them,  and  away  we 
pulled  for  the  William  and  E/tza. 

We  found  her  surrounded  by  boats,  carrying  well-nigh 
two  hundred  men,  the  whole  being  under  the  command  of 
an  American  captain. 

We  waited  till  nearly  midnight,  when  the  order  was  given 
to  shove  off.  We  could  not  tell  whether  the  authorities  on 
shore  knew  anything  of  what  was  about  to  take  place. 

We  carried  a  number  of  scaling  ladders,  with  stout  ropes 
and  hooks.  The  first  who  got  up  with  the  ladders  were  to 
fix  on  the  hooks,  so  that  the  others  might  swarm  up,  and  we 
might  all  mount  the  walls  together. 

We  had  no  firearms,  only  axes,  blubber-spades,  and 
spears.  We  pulled  in,  forming  a  long  line  abreast,  as 
silently  as  possible.  On  reaching  the  shore,  two  hands  were 
left  in  each  boat,  and  the  rest  of  us  rushed  up  to  the  fort 
to  fix  the  ladders. 

It  took  but  a  few  seconds  before  we  were  all  at  the  top, 
and  down  we  leaped  into  the  fort. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  garrison  were  asleep.  When 
they  found  the  place  full  of  men  some  of  them  ran  away  and 
hid  themselves,  and  others  dashed  out  at  the  gate.  We  soon 
found  the  room  in  which  Captain  Rogers  was  shut  up.  The 
door  was  broken  open  and  he  was  set  free.  Not  wishing  to 
have  a  disturbance  with  the  natives,  we  hurried  back  with 
him  the  way  we  came,  and  before  long  were  on  board  again. 
The  captain  made  us  a  speech,  and  thanked  us  for  setting 
him  free,  and  we  returned  to  our  respective  ships.  I  'don't 
know  that  any  notice  was  taken  of  the  affair  by  the  authori- 
ties, but  of  course  Captain  Rogers  was  unable  to  go  on 
shore  again  while  he  remained  in  tlie  harbour. 


246  Peter  Trawl. 

Having  repaired  our  ship  and  taken  on  board  several 
fresh  hands,  who  wished  to  return  home  to  England,  we 
sailed  again  for  the  Marquesas,  in  order  to  land  the  natives 
whom  we  had  taken  from  those  islands. 

The  passage  lasted  five  weeks,  during  which  time  we 
didn't  see  a  single  ship.  We  proceeded  at  once  to  Resolu- 
tion Bay.  On  entering  we  found  a  French  man  of-war, 
which  immediately  sent  a  boat  on  board  us. 

The  officer  in  command  informed  the  captain  that  the 
islands  now  belonged  to  France,  and  that  we  must  not  land 
anything  in  the  shape  of  firearms  or  ammunition. 

While  he  was  still  on  board  a  boat  pulled  off  from  the 
shore,  bringing  a  dozen  soldiers,  who,  without  asking  leave, 
came  up  the  side. 

"  Why  do  these  men  come  on  board  my  ship  ? "  asked 
the  captain. 

"  To  see  that  you  comply  with  the  orders  you  receive," 
answered  the  officer,  who  spoke  very  good  English. 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  breaking  the  laws  you  impose," 
exclaimed  the  captain,  who  was  not  the  man  to  stand  that 
sort  of  thing,  "  but  I'll  not  submit  to  have  foreign  soldiers 
placed  on  board  my  ship." 

The  French  officer  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  said  that 
he  was  but  carrying  out  the  orders  of  his  superiors. 

On  this  the  captain  ordered  his  boat  to  be  lowered,  and 
pulled  away  on  board  the  French  man-of-war.  He  there 
threatened  to  throw  the  ship  on  the  hands  of  the  French 
if  the  soldiers  were  not  immediately  withdrawn. 

After  a  little  time  the  captain  returned,  accompanied  by 
a  French  lieutenant,  who  brought  an  order  for  the  soldiers 
to  return  on  shore.  Our  stay  here  was  rendered  very 
unpleasant  by  the  French.  As  soon  as  we  got  our  fresh 
provisions  on  board  we  sailed  again  for  the  westward,  pro- 
ceeding as  before  among  the  coral  reefs,  which  lie  to  the 


OVER   THE   CORAL    REEK 


Page  247. 


A  Typhoon,  and  how  We  got  through  It.     247 

north  of  the  Society  Islands.  The  navigation  is  exceedingly 
dangerous,  as  many  of  them  are  so  low  that  they  cannot  be 
seen  till  the  ship  is  close  to  them,  and  we  had  to  keep  a 
very  sharp  look-out  as  we  sailed  on.  The  most  dangerous 
of  all  those  we  sighted  was  the  Sidney  group,  which  consist 
of  bare  sandbanks,  without  the  least  vegetation,  and  are 
nearly  level  with  the  surface  of  the  sea.  We  landed  on 
some  of  them  to  obtain  birds'  eggs  and  fish,  which  are 
very  plentiful,  but  they  are  uninhabited,  as  there  is  no  fresh 
water. 

Still  sailing  west  we  touched  at  the  Kingsmills,  passing 
also  several  other  islands,  till  we  came  off  Strong's  Island. 
Here  is  a  magnificent  harbour,  surrounded  by  coral  reefs, 
but  the  mouth  is  so  narrow  that  we  could  not  have  attempted 
to  enter  had  not  the  boats  of  three  vessels  lying  there  come 
out  to  assist  in  towing  us  in.  On  bringing  up,  a  number  of 
natives  came  off,  who  talked  capital  English,  and  seemed 
very  intelligent  fellows.  We  found  that  the  chief  of  the 
island  was  named  King  George. 

In  a  short  time  another  canoe  came  off  with  a  fine-look- 
ing fellow  on  board,  who  seemed  as  eager  to  trade  and 
obtain  anything  he  could  as  the  rest  of  the  natives. 

At  last  Captain  Hawkins,  turning  to  him,  said,  rather 
roughly,  "  You  and  the  other  chaps  must  be  off  now." 

"  You  kno\v  who  I  am  ?  "  asked  the  native.  "  I  King 
George,  chief  of  all  these  islands." 

"  I  beg  your  majesty's  pardon,  but  you  don't  look  much 
like  a  king,"  said  the  captain,  laughing. 

The  chief,  however,  didn't  appear  to  be  angry,  and  shook 
hands  with  the  captain  and  officers,  and  stepping  into  the 
canoe  paddled  away  for  the  shore. 

"We  must  take  care  these  fellows  don't  play  us  any 
trick,"  observed  the  captain  to  Mr.  Griffiths.  "  We'll  give 
them  a  salute  to  show  them  that  we're  \vLie-awake." 


248  Pete*    Trawl, 

We  carried  four  nine-pounders,  which  we  forthwith  fired. 
It  was  the  first  time  we  had  to  use  them  during  the  voyage. 
It  was  hoped  that  this  would  awe  the  natives,  and  that  we 
should  not  be  molested  during  the  night  The  sound  of 
the  last  gun  had  scarcely  died  away,  when  a  Captain  Rounds, 
commanding  one  of  the  whalers,  whose  boats  had  assisted 
to  to\v  us  in,  came  on  board.  After  he  had  shaken  hands 
and  the  usual  civilities  had  passed,  he  said, 

"You  are  wise  to  show  that  you  are  wide-awake,  and 
when  you  hear  the  account  I  have  to  give  you  of  the  fear- 
ful work  which  took  place  here  not  long  ago,  you  will  judge 
whether  it  will  be  prudent  to  put  yourself  or  any  of  your 
people  in  the  power  of  the  natives." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  FEARFUL  NARRATIVE— DOINGS  AT  STRONG'S 
ISLAND. 

AS  it  was  very  hot  below,  the  captain  had  ordered  chairs 
and  a  small  table  to  be  brought  on  deck,  and  he, 
with  Captain  Rounds,  Dr.  Cockle,  and  Mr.  Griffiths,  took 
their  seats,  while  Mr.  Harvey,  Horner,  and  I  stood  within 
earshot  to  hear  the  account  our  visitor  had  promised  to 
give. 

"  I  came  in  here  about  two  months  ago  for  the  first  time 
this  voyage  to  obtain  provisions  and  water,"  began  Captain 
Rounds,  "and  as  none  of  us  understood  the  language  of 
the  people,  I  shipped  a  couple  of  natives  who  spoke  English 
very  fairly  to  act  as  interpreters.  Besides  having  been  to 
sea  on  board  other  whalers,  they  were,  I  thought,  likely  to 
prove  useful  hands.  Everything  went  on  in  a  satisfactory 
way  while  I  lay  here.  The  natives  who  came  on  board 
behaved  themselves  well,  and  King  George,  their  chief, 
seemed  a  very  decent  sort  of  fellow,  and  was  as  honest  in 
his  dealings  as  I  could  expect  I  had  made  it  a  rule  when 
I  came  out  to  these  parts  never  to  trust  many  of  my  people 
ashore  at  a  time  among  the  heathen  natives  without  having 
some  of  the  principal  natives  on  board  as  hostages,  or  so 
well-behaved  and  friendly  did  these  appear  that  I  should 
otherwise  not  have  hesitated  to  let  half  my  crew  land  at  a 
time,  feeling  confident  that  they  would  be  well  treated. 
Thus  it  was  that  I  every  evening  at  sundown  fired  off  my 


250  Peter  Trawl. 

guns,  and  kept  a  strict  watch  during  the  night.  I  did  this, 
not  from  any  fear  of  being  attacked,  but  that  I  considered 
it  prudent  to  keep  to  the  rule  I  had  laid  down,  and  to  main- 
tain discipline  on  board.  You'll  see  that  I  was  fortunate  in 
doing  so.  I  parted  on  good  terms  with  King  George  and 
his  people  without  having  any  reason  to  alter  the  favourable 
opinion  I  had  formed  of  them,  taking  the  two  native  inter- 
preters with  me.  From  the  way  I  treated  them  they  became 
very  friendly  and  much  attached  to  me.  We  had  been  at 
sea  for  some  time,  and  had  caught  three  or  four  whales,  each 
of  which  cost  us,  perhaps,  more  than  the  usual  trouble  to 
take.  The  two  natives,  who  go  by  the  names  of  Jackey  and 
Tu')bs,  seemed  very  much  struck  by  the  exertions  we  had 
to  make  to  secure  the  whales,  and  one  day  they  came  to  me 
and  said  that  they  could  put  me  up  to  the  means  of  filling 
the  ship  with  perfect  ease  if  I  would  follow  their  advice.  I 
askevl  them  what  they  meant  They  then  told  me  that  a 
ship  lay  sunk  in  their  harbour  loaded  with  casks  of  oil,  and 
that  they  knew  the  exact  spot  where  she  went  down.  I  then 
learnt  from  them  the  following  particulars. 

"You,  Hawkins,  well  knew  Barber,  who  commanded  the 
Harriet,  of  London,  as  you  sailed  together  as  mates  with 
old  Captain  Newton  in  the  Felicity.  I  met  Barber  when  I 
first  came  out  to  the  Pacific,  and  was  wondering  that  I  had 
never  since  heard  of  him  or  the  Harriet.  The  natives  now 
told  me  that  about  a  year  ago  she  had  put  into  this  harbour, 
there  being  no  other  vessels  here  at  the  time.  You  remem- 
ber what  a  good-natured,  yet  somewhat  careless  fellow  he 
was.  The  natives  came  in  numbers  on  board  his  ship,  and 
appeared  to  be  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  him  and  his 
crew.  They  at  length,  one  day,  invited  his  men  to  go 
ashore,  and  he  consequently  allowed  the  greater  number 
of  them  to  land  This  sort  of  thing  continued  while  he  lay 
in  the  harbour.  King  George  and  most  of  his  chiefs, 


A  Fearful  Narrative.  251 

though  they  came  down  to  visit  the  ship  when  she  first 
arrived,  were,  at  that  time,  living  in  another  part  of  the 
island,  and  the  people  just  here  did  pretty  much  as  they 
liked. 

"Barber,  with  a  boat's  crew,  only  remained  on  board, 
when,  on  going  on  deck  in  the  morning,  he  caught  sight  ol 
three  of  his  men  running  down  towards  the  beach  as  fast  as 
they  could  go,  with  a  posse  of  natives  after  them.  Presently 
they  were  overtaken.  First  one  was  struck  down  by  the 
club  of  a  savage,  and  directly  afterwards  the  other  two 
shared  the  same  fate.  The  natives,  on  reaching  the  shore, 
jumped  into  their  canoes,  a  whole  fleet  of  which  came 
paddling  off  towards  the  ship.  The  crew,  on  seeing  this,  I 
suspect,  took  fright,  thinking  that  they  should  all  be  mur- 
dered, as  their  mates  on  shore  had  been.  Captain  Barber 
himself  would,  I  am  certain,  have  stopped  to  defend  his  ship, 
but  probably  fearing  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  make  the 
attempt  while  his  crew  were  so  faint-hearted,  he  ordered  the 
boat  to  be  lowered  with  such  provisions  and  water  as  could 
be  hastily  thrown  into  her.  They  had  scarcely  left  the  side 
of  the  ship  before  the  savages  were  up  to  her.  They 
pursued  the  boat  for  some  distance,  but  at  length  gave  up 
the  chase,  eager  to  get  back  and  secure  their  prize.  They 
then  set  to  work  to  plunder  the  vessel  of  everything  they  con- 
sidered of  value.  They  stripped  her  of  her  sails  and  rigging, 
and  all  the  iron-work  they  could  get  at,  managing  even  to 
carry  away  her  topmasts,  jibboom,  and  yards.  Having  done 
this,  they  towed  the  vessel  higher  up  the  harbour  and 
scuttled  her. 

"When  King  George,  who  had  known  Captain  Barber 
and  some  of  his  people — for  he  had  been  down  at  the 
harbour  when  the  ship  first  arrived — heard  of  the  massacre 
he  was  very  indignant,  and  Jackey  and  Tubbs  told  me  that 
he  killed  no  less  than  thirty  of  those  who  had  taken  part 


252  Peler  Trawl. 

in  it  with  his  own  hand.  Whether  this  was  actually  the  case 
or  not  I  could  not  make  out ;  but,  after  cross-questioning 
the  two  natives,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  himself 
had  no  hand  in  the  massacre,  and  was  entirely  ignorant  of 
it  till  afterwards.  What  has  become  of  poor  Barber  and 
his  boat's  crew  I  am  anxious  to  ascertain ;  but  he  would 
have  had  a  fearfully  long  passage  to  make  to  any  other 
island,  and  I'm  afraid  that  he  and  his  companions  must 
have  perished  from  hunger  and  thirst  before  they  could 
have  reached  any  friendly  shore. 

"  Having  fallen  in  shortly  after  I  heard  this  with  the 
Lydia  and  Pearl,  I  communicated  the  intelligence  to  them, 
and  we  determined  to  put  in  here  to  ascertain  the  truth  of 
the  story. 

"Now  you  have  come  we  shall  be  sufficiently  strong- 
handed  both  to  defend  ourselves  from  the  natives,  and  to 
recover  the  Harriet's  cargo  if  we  cannot  raise  her." 

Captain  Hawkins  at  once  entered  into  Captain  Rounds' 
views,  and  they  agreed  the  next  morning  with  their  brother 
captains  to  set  to  work.  Captain  Rounds,  who  was  a  very 
ingenious  man,  had  a  diving-bell  constructed  out  of  a  cask, 
with  pipes  to  lead  the  air  into  it. 

Proceeding  with  the  boats,  we  found  the  ship  sunk  in 
six  fathoms  of  water  at  a  spot  Jackey  and  Tubbs  pointed 
out.  They  willingly  agreed  to  descend  in  the  diving-bell, 
and  Brown  and  another  man  also  went  down  in  it  It  was 
then  found  that  the  ship  had  been  set  on  fire,  but  she  had 
sunk  before  the  flames  had  reached  the  cargo.  It  was 
calculated  that  there  were  one  thousand  six  hundred  barrels 
of  oil  in  her. 

Her  figure-head  and  other  articles  were  got  up,  thus 
clearly  identifying  her  as  the  unfortunate  Harriet. 

The  captains  proposed  raising  her,  and  dividing  the  oil 
between  them  ;  but  after  a  great  deal  of  consultation  it  was 


A  Fearful  Narrative.  253 

considered  that  they  had  better  give  up  the  plan,  as  it 
5vould  have  occupied  a  long  time,  and  caused  a  difficulty 
on  their  arrival  at  home  as  to  whether  they  had  a  right  to 
possess  themselves  of  it.  Thus  the  results  of  many  a  hard 
month's  labour  were  lost. 

King  George  watched  our  proceedings  with  much  interest, 
generally  hovering  about  the  boats  in  his  canoe  while  we 
were  at  work.  Perhaps  he  thought  from  the  first  that  we 
should  not  succeed,  though  I  think  we  should  have  done  so 
had  it  been  desirable  to  make  the  attempt.  As  soon  as  the 
undertaking  was  abandoned,  the  other  vessels,  which  had 
only  come  in  for  water  and  provisions,  sailed,  and  we  were 
left  alone  in  the  harbour.  The  king,  who  did  not  appear 
to  be  at  all  offended  by  the  way  Captain  Hawkins  had 
treated  him  on  his  first  visit,  at  once  came  on  board,  and 
appeared  to  be  excessively  friendly.  He  spoke  English 
remarkably  well,  having  learned  it  on  board  a  whaler  in  his 
youth,  and  kept  it  up  by  frequently  talking  to  runaway 
sailors  who  had  remained  at  the  island.  He  invited  the 
captain  to  go  ashore  and  visit  him  in  his  palace,  the  name 
we  gave  to  the  great  hut  in  which  he  lived. 

"  With  great  pleasure,  king,"  answered  the  captain  :  "  but 
fair  play's  a  jewel,  you  know.  If  I  go  to  visit  you,  your 
brother  here  will  remain  on  board  to  keep  my  mates 
company  till  I  return." 

The  captain  told  Mr.  Griffiths  to  keep  a  strict  watch  on 
the  king's  brother,  and  not  to  allow  him  to  leave  the  cabin, 
lest  he  might  slip  overboard  and  swim  on  shore. 

We  called  the  young  savage  Charlie,  though  that  was  not 
his  real  name.  Charlie,  who  spoke  a  little  English,  seemed 
perfectly  content ;  and  when  the  king  and  the  captain  went 
on  shore,  descended  to  the  cabin  without  the  slightest 
hesitation.  As  the  stern-windows,  through  which  Charlie 
might  have  squeezed  himself  if  he  had  had  a  mind,  we?e  !c  t 


254  Peter   Trawl. 

open  for  the  sake  of  the  a:~,  Mr.  Griffiths  told  me  to  remain 
in  the  cabin  whenever  he  was  on  deck.  At  night  he  was 
locked  up  in  the  state  room.  I  don't  know  that  the  captain 
was  very  well  pleased  at  having  the  savage  sleeping  in  his 
bed. 

Next  rrorning  the  captain  came  back,  saying  that  he  had 
been  hospitably  treated.  In  the  afternoon,  as  Charlie 
wished  to  return,  and  as  the  doctor  and  several  men  were 
on  shore,  the  captain  sent  me,  with  Miles  Soper  and  Brown, 
to  bring  the  king  off,  that  he  might  take  his  brother's  place. 

We  pulled  up  a  long  narrow  creek  for  several  miles,  till 
we  arrived  at  the  royal  residence,  which  was  a  large  hut 
with  a  framework  of  poles  and  roofed  over  with  matting. 
Near  it  were  other  huts,  and  a  number  of  natives  were 
employed  in  different  ways,  some  pounding  kava  between 
two  large  stones,  when  the  root,  thus  thoroughly  bruised, 
was  thrown  into  water.  This  is  a  much  pleasanter  way  of 
preparing  the  beverage  than  by  employing  the  women  to 
chew  it,  as  is  done  in  Samoa. 

The  king  was  away  when  we  arrived,  and  we  had  thus 
plenty  of  time  to  walk  about  the  village  and  look  around 
us.  Some  natives  were  engaged  in  cooking  fish  and  yams. 
This  was  done  by  putting  them  into  a  hole  on  the  top  of 
some  hot  stones  and  leaves,  and  then  covering  them  up 
with  more  hot  stones,  leaves,  and  earth  at  the  top  of  all. 
We  soon  had  an  opportunity  of  tasting  them,  and  I  can 
answer  for  their  being  most  delicious. 

As  the  king  didn't  appear  we  walked  some  little  distance 
into  the  country,  for  we  knew  that  we  were  perfectly  safe 
while  the  king's  brother  remained  as  a  hostage.  Going  into 
a  hut  we  found  a  yf;ung  woman  about  to  light  a  fire.  I 
watched  the  process.  She  first  took  half  of  the  log  that 
had  been  split  in  two  and  laid  it  down  with  the  split  side 
upwards;  then  taking  a  small  piece  of  hard  wood  about  a 


A  Fcaful  Nartative. 


foot  long  and  pointed  at  one  end,  she  sat  down  astride  of 
the  log  and  commenced  rubbing  the  sharp  point  of  the  stick 
up  and  down  the  grain  of  the  large  piece,  thus  making  a 
groove,  and  shoving  the  shavings  which  she  worked  out  to 
the  farther  end,  till  at  length  they  ignited,  when  immediately 
catching  up  some  dry  leaves  which  lay  handy,  and  blowing 
gently,  she  soon  obtained  a  blaze.  I  tried  the  experiment 
under  her  directions  and  succeeded  very  well.  Though 
simple  and  easy  as  is  this  method  of  obtaining  fire,  I  La\e 
never  seen  it  tried  in  any  other  place. 

On  our  return  to  the  village  we  found  the  king,  who 
invited  us  to  feast  on  the  fish  and  yams  which  I  had  sttn 
cooking.  We  were  now  joined  by  the  captain  and  Dr. 
Cockle,  with  the  second  mate  and  several  men,  and  I  was 
directed  to  go  back  with  the  king,  who  had  to  take  Lis 
brother's  place  on  board. 

His  majesty  preferred  going  alone  in  his  own  canoe.  I 
sat  in  the  bows  with  a  long  pole  to  keep  the  bow  off  the 
rocks  as  we  went  down  the  creek,  and  he  placed  himself 
astern  with  a  paddle  in  his  hand.  He  giving  the  canoe  a 
shove  from  the  bank,  away  we  went.  I  was  highly  amused 
at  the  thought  of  carrying  off  the  king  as  a  prisoner.  lie, 
however,  seemed  to  take  it  as  a  matter  of  course,  an:i 
chatted  and  laughed  as  we  glided  along.  Presently  he 
asked, 

"  You  young  Englishman  ever  been  here  before  ?  I 
think  I  know  your  face." 

"  When  was  it  your  majesty  fancied  that  you  saw  me  ?  " 
I  inquired. 

"  Let  me  see,"  he  said,  holding  his  paddle  in  the  air  for 
a  moment  ;  "  were  you  ever  aboard  the  ship  that  my  rascally 
people  sent  to  the  bottom  out  there  ?  "  and  he  pointed  to 
where  the  Harriet  lay. 

"No/'  I  answered,  a  dreadful  thought  coming  into  my 


256  Peter  Trawl. 

mind.     "  Was  the  person  you  fancy  I  am  killed  with  the 
rest  of  the  crew  ?  " 

"  I  think  not.  If  I  think  so,  I  no  ask  you,"  he  answered. 
"  I  see  him  with  the  captain  when  he  visit  the  shore,  and 
each  time  I  go  on  board  the  ship.  When  I  come  down  to 
the  harbour  I  took  great  fancy  to  him,  and  asked  captain 
to  let  him  stay  with  me,  but  he  and  captain  say  no.  Ke 
want  to  go  home  to  see  father  and  mother,  brother  and' 
sister.  When  I  found  the  men  killed  I  remembered  him, 
but  no  find  him  'mong  them.  Dat  all  I  know,  but  me  think 
that  he  was  with  captain  when  they  got  away  in  the  boat" 

At  first,  on  hearing  what  the  king  said,  I  was  almost  in 
despair,  for  I  was  very  sure  that  he  was  speaking  of  my 
brother  Jack,  as  I  thought  that  by  this  time  I  should  have 
grown  very  like  him,  as  I  often  heard  my  mother  say  that 
I  was  so  when  I  was  at  the  age  at  which  he  went  to 
sea.  How  he  had  got  on  board  the  Harriet  I  could  not 
tell,  any  more  than  I  could  what  had  become  of  her  boat. 
Still  there  was  a  possibility  of  his  having  escaped.  I  had 
no  wish  to  return  on  shore  with  "  Prince  Charlie  "  after  I 
had  handed  the  king  over  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Griffiths,  as  I 
wanted  to  talk  about  the  matter  to  Jim.  As  may  be 
supposed,  we  did  talk  about  it  for  many  an  hour.  I  was 
now  eager  to  be  out  of  the  harbour,  in  the  hopes  that  we 
might  visit  some  other  islands  at  which  Jack  might  be 
found.  Jim  was  as  sanguine  as  ever  that  he  would  be 
found.  When  I  told  Mr.  Griffiths  he  looked  very  grave. 

"  It  is  possible,  my  lad,"  he  said,  "  and  nothing  would 
give  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  find  him  at  last ;  but  you 
know  what  is  likely  to  have  been  the  fate  of  the  poor  fellows 
in  a  boat,  with  a  scanty  supply  of  provisions  and  a  long 
voyage  to  the  nearest  land.  Just  look  at  the  chart.  We 
are  away  from  all  civilized  countries,  with  the  wildest  savages 
on  each  side  of  us." 


A  Fearful  Narrative.  257 


Next  day,  when  the  captain  and  the  rest  of  the  party  came 
on  board,  and  as  soon  as  our  royal  visitor  had  taken  his 
departure,  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  the  order  given  to  get 
under  way.  The  breeze  being  fair  we  stood  out  of  the 
harbour. 

We  were  soon  at  our  old  work  again.     My  patience  was 
sorely  tried.     If  I  had  not  been  actively  engaged  I  don't  * 
know  what  I  should  have  done. 

My  idea  was  that  the  captain  would  at  once  sail  in  search 
of  the  missing  boat,  but  he  had  no  idea  of  the  sort  in  his 
head.  He  either  was  convinced  that  she  was  lost,  or 
considered  that  it  was  his  business  to  fill  up  his  ship  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  not  to  waste  time  in  looking  for  those 
who  might  never  be  found. 

We  had  caught  several  whales,  when  the  time  came  for 
returning  to  the  Japan  fishing  ground,  as  it's  called,  some 
distance  off  the  east  coast  of  those  islands.  My  hope  of 
finding  Jack  decreased,  but  didn't  die  away  altogether. 

Jim  kept  me  up.  "  We  d  >n't  know  in  what  direction  the 
boat  went,"  he  observed.  "  She  may  have  steered  to  the 
northwrd,  and  we  are  as  likely  to  fall  in  with  him  the  way 
we're  going  as  anywhere  else." 

I  often  consulted  the  chart.  To  the  northward  of  Strong's 
Island  I  saw  the  Caroline  group,  consisting  of  a  vast  number 
of  coral  islands,  and  north-west  of  them,  again,  the  Ladrone 
Islands,  the  principal  of  which,  Guam,  is  inhabited  by 
Spaniards.  Knowing  this,  Captain  Barber  may  have 
attempted  to  reach  it,  and  one  day,  to  my  satisfaction,  I 
heard  from  the  doctor  that  Captain  Hawkins  intended  to 
call  there  before  returning  home. 

We  were  now  leaving  those  islands  I  have  mentioned  to 
the  southward.  We  were  very  successful  on  the  Japan 
ground,  and  nearly  completed  our  cargo,  at  least  the  lower 
hold  was  full. 


258  Piitr  Trawf. 

At  length,  one  calm  day,  a  large  whale  was  seen  spouting 
at  some  distance  from  the  ship.  Four  boats  were  lowered. 
The  captain,  the  two  mates,  and  Brown  went  in  them.  Miles 
Soper  going  as  the  chief  mate's  boat-steerer.  His  boat  w  as 
the  first  up,  and  in  a  short  time  Soper  put  two  irons  into 
the  whale,  which  almost  instantly  turned  over  on  its  back, 
threw  its  lower  jaw  open,  and  nipped  her  clean  in  two. 

Wonderful  to  relate,  the  men  all  got  clear,  and  Mr. 
Griffiths,  standing  up  on  half  of  the  boat,  plunged  his  lance 
right  down  the  whale's  throat,  and  then  jumped  off  and 
swam  with  the  other  men  to  the  next  boat  coming  up.  The 
<  aptaiu's  boat  now  fastened  to  the  whale,  which,  turning  as 
before  on  its  back,  treated  her  in  the  way  it  had  the  first. 
When  we  who  were  on  board  saw  this,  we  began  to  lower 
the  spare  boats  as  fast  as  we  could.  While  we  were  thus 
employed,  the  doctor,  who  was  looking  on,  exclaimed, 

"  There's  a  third  boat  caught !  " 

And  we  saw  that  the  second  mate's  boat,  which  had  got 
up,  hid  been  nipped  by  the  whale.  Brown's  boat,  the  fourth, 
now  pulled  gallantly  up,  watching  every  movement  of  the 
monster,  if  necessary  to  get  out  of  its  way ;  but  the,  wound 
it  had  received  had  already  weakened  it,  and  though  it 
made  at  his  boat  he  escaped,  and  succeeded  in  plunging 
several  harpoons  and  lances  into  its  body. 

Meanwhile  the  crews  of  the  other  boats  which  had  been 
destroyed  had  been  hanging  on  to  them,  and  though  the 
sea  was  swarming  with  sharks  it  was  a  remarkable  fact  that 
not  one  of  the  men  was  lost  Sharks  rarely  bite  people 
when  a  whale  is  bleeding,  but  keep  following  the  track  of 
the  blood.  Brown  took  some  of  the  men  on  board,  and 
we  in  the  spare  boats,  leaving  only  the  doctor  and  two  hands 
to  take  care  of  the  ship,  pulled  quickly  up  and  rescued  the 
remainder. 

We  scon  had  the  v.-hale  alongside ;  it  was  the  largest  we 


A  Fe-trful  Natrative.  259 

had  caught— nearly  a  hundred  feet  in  length  ;  but  we  got 
very  little  oil  out  of  it,  for,  having  been  fastened  to  pre- 
viously, there  was  a  huge  swelling  on  its  back  as  big  as  a 
tun  butt,  which  was,  no  doubt,  the  cause  of  the  blubber 
being  so  thin.  We  had  still  some  spare  space,  and  the 
crew  were  eager  to  catch  the  additional  whales  required  to 
complete  our  cargo,  that  we  might  at  length  direct  our 
course  homeward.  Although  I  should  have  before  been 
the  most  eager  of  any  to  return  to  England,  yet  now,  with 
the  idea  that  had  taken  hold  of  me  that  Jack  was  somewhere 
in  the  neighbourhood,  I  was  anxious  to  remain  until  I  had 
found  him.  Jim  shared  my  feelings,  but  I  didn't  suppose 
anybody  else  did. 

We  remained  a  week  or  more,  however,  after  killing  the 
last  huge  whale  which  had  cost  us  so  much  trouble,  without 
seeing  another,  when  the  captain  determined  to  steer  for 
the  Ladrone  Islands.  As  we  had  now  been  some  months 
without  obtaining  fresh  provisions,  we  first  directed  our 
course  for  the  Bonins,  some  degrees  to  the  eastward  of 
the  coast  of  Japan.  We  understood  that  there  were  wild 
pif  s,  if  not  goats  and  sheep,  on  them.  At  all  events,  that 
fish  could  be  caught  in  abundance  off  the  shore.  In  a  few 
days  we  sighted  them,  and  ran  under  the  lee  of  one  of  the 
group  called  South  Island.  Here  the  ship  was  hove  to, 
and  a  boat  lowered,  in  which  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  doctor, 
Horner,  Jim  and  I,  Brown  and  Miles  Soper  and  Coal,  with 
two  other  men,  went  We  took  with  us  besides  fishing-lines 
the  whaling  gear  and  a  couple  of  muskets,  three  or  four 
casks  to  fill  with  water,  and  provisions  for  the  day,  for  we 
didn't  intend  to  get  back  to  the  ship  till  evening. 

Mr.  Griffiths,  who  had  been  there  before,  took  the  boat 
inside  a  high  reef  of  rocks,  where  he  had,  he  said,  caught  a 
number  of  fish. 

Our  first  object  was  to  obtain  bait.     Miles   Soper  and 


260  Piter  Trawl.' 

Coal  undertook  to  swim  on  shore  with  baskets  and  catch 
some  crabs,  for  which  the  fish  in  these  seas  seem  to  have  a 
special  fondness.  We  pulled  in  as  close  as  we  could  to 
land  them,  and  in  a  short  time  they  fille'd  their  baskets,  and 
shouted  to  us  to  return  and  take  them  off.  We  now 
dropped  our  kedge  anchor  just  inside  the  surf,  in  between 
two  and  three  fathoms  of  water,  which  was  so  clear  that  we 
could  see  the  fish  as  they  swam  about,  darted  at  the  bait, 
and  swallowed  the  hooks. 

We  quickly  hauled  in  a  number  of  magnificent  fish.  We 
were  so  eager  at  the  sport  that  we  didn't  consider  how 
rapidly  the  time  passed,  while  the  doctor  was  more  occupied 
with  admiring  the  variously-coloured  coral,  the  richly-tinted 
seaweeds,  and  the  curiously- shaped  fish  of  all  the  hues  of 
the  rainbow,  swimming  in  and  out  among  the  trees  of  their 
marine  gardens. 

At  last  Mr.  Griffiths,  pulling  out  his  watch,  exclaimed, 
"  Hulloa  !  How  time  has  gone  by  !  Get  up  the  anchor, 
lads.  We  ought  to  be  off." 

The  order  was  more  easily  given  than  obeyed.  We 
hauled  and  hauled,  but  the  anchor  had  got  foul  of  the  coral, 
and  we  ran  a  risk  of  losing  it  Soper  offered  to  go  down 
and  clear  it,  but  just  then  a  huge  shark  showed  his  ugly 
throat  alongside,  and  Mr.  Griffiths  would  not  let  him  go. 
At  last,  just  as  it  was  dark,  Brown  managed  to  get  the 
anchor  up. 

When  we  pulled  outside  the  reef  we  found  that  the  weather 
had  changed.  It  was  blowing  very  hard,  though,  sheltered 
as  we  had  been,  we  had  not  discovered  this.  We  looked 
eagerly  out  for  the  ship,  but  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
OUR  LIFE  ON  AN  UNINHABITED  ISLAND. 

WE  were  still  in  smooth  water,  but  the  sea  was  break- 
ing in  the  offing,  the  white  caps  rising  against  the 
dark  sky.  Mr.  Griffiths  thought  that  the  ship  might  have 
stood  to  the  eastward  and  be  concealed  by  the  point  of  land 
which  ran  out  in  that  direction.  We  eagerly  gave  way  and 
pulled  off  from  the  shore.  Several  times  he  stood  up  to 
look  about  him.  At  length  he  cried  out, 

"  There  she  is  !  there  she  is  !  she's  burning  a  blue  light." 

We  all  looked  in  the  direction  he  pointed,  which  was 
almost  abeam,  and  there  we  saw  a  light,  appearing,  however, 
just  above  the  horizon.  He  at  once  steered  the  boat 
towards  it,  but  as  we  pulled  on  the  seas  increased  and 
frequently  broke  aboard  us ;  the  wind  was  rising  rapidly, 
and  in  a  short  time  blew  a  heavy  gale.  In  vain  we  again 
looked  out  for  the  light ;  none  could  be  seen,  and  there 
was  a  great  risk,  should  we  continue  to  pull  on,  of  the  boat 
being  swamped. 

The  doctor  and  Mr.  Griffiths  talked  together  earnestly ; 
the  latter  then  said, 

"  Lads,  there's  no  help  for  it,  we  must  try  and  get  on 
shore  for  the  night,  and  in  the  morning,  if  the  wind  goes 
down,  the  captain  will  stand  in  to  look  for  us." 

We  all  knew  the  danger  we  were  in,  for  in  pulling  round 
tl.e  boat  mishit  lie  rautrht  on  her  broadside  and  turned 


262  Peter  Trawl. 

over ;  but  it  had  to  be  done,  and  we  trusted  to  Mr.  Griffiths' 
steering.  We  gave  way  as  he  told  us,  though  for  a  moment 
I  thought  all  was  over  as  a  sea  struck  the  boat  abeam  and 
half  swamped  her. 

We  got  round,  however,  and  while  Horner  and  I  baled 
her  out,  the  men  pulled  in  towards  the  shore.  It  was  now 
very  dark.  All  we  could  see  ahead  was  an  irregular  line  of 
black,  but  whether  rocks  or  hills  rising  near  the  beach  we 
could  not  tell.  As  we  neared  the  shore  Mr.  Griffiths  stood 
up  looking  out  for  a  landing-place,  but  no  opening  could  he 
discover  in  the  rocks,  against  which  the  surf  was  now 
breaking  furiously ;  should  we  get  within  its  power  the 
boat,  we  knew,  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  in  a  moment 
The  wind  went  on  increasing  till  it  blew  almost  a  hurricane. 
At  last  Dr.  Cockle  exclaimed, 

"  There  is  an  opening.  We  passed  it  this  morning.  I 
remember  it  by  the  clump  of  trees  on  the  top  of  a  rounded 
hill,  and  I  can  now  make  them  out  against  the  sky." 

Mr.  Griffiths  hesitated.  Should  the  doctor  be  wrong  in 
another  minute  we  should  be  hurled  to  destruction  against 
the  rugged  rocks.  Just  then  the  moon  rising  on  the  other 
side  of  the  island  broke  through  the  clouds  and  showed  us 
clearly  the  outline  of  the  trees  and  the  hill. 

The  mate  hesitated  no  longer,  but  telling  us  to  give  way 
steered  in  for  the  opening.  The  surf  broke  wildly  on  either 
side  of  us,  flying  up  above  our  heads  ;  the  seas  came  roar- 
ing on  astern,  threatening  to  engulf  us.  We  all  gave  way 
steadily  together.  Now  the  boat  rose  on  the  top  of  a  foam- 
ing sea,  and  then  down  she  glided  into  comparatively  smooth 
water  inside  the  reef,  and  we  were  safe. 

Pulling  on,  we  saw  ahead  a  small  bay  with  the  trees 
coming  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Their  tops  were  waving 
wildly,  but  we  felt  but  little  wind  where  we  were,  and  v.-e 
were  able  to  run  the  boat's  head  on  to  the  beach  and  Innd 


Our  Life  on  an  Uninhabited  Island.      263 

without  difficulty.  We  at  once  drew  her  up  and  looked  out 
for  a  sheltered  spot  under  some  rocks  to  camp.  Here  we 
got  a  fire  lighted,  as  there  were  plenty  of  broken  branches 
and  leaves  lying  about,  and  soon  had  some  of  the  fish  we 
had  caught  cooking  before  it. 

Outside  the  tempest  was  howling  furiously,  and  we  had 
reason  to  be  thankful  that  we  had  gained  the  shore,  as  no 
boat  could  have  lived  in  the  sea  which  was  by  this  time 
running. 

After  supper  was  over,  and  we  had  dried  our  clothes,  wet 
through  and  through  by  the  spray,  we  lay  down  to  sleep 
under  the  rock.  Mr.  Griffiths  assured  us  that  there  were  no 
wild  beasts  or  natives  to  molest  us  in  the  island,  though  we 
were  not  altogether  free  from  danger,  as  the  trees  which 
grew  on  the  top  of  the  rock  above  our  heads  might  be 
blown  down,  or  the  upper  part  of  the  rock  itself  might  give 
way  and  crush  us. 

That  we  might  have  some  chance  in  being  awakened  so 
as  to  enable  us  to  attempt  to  escape,  as  also  to  prevent 
the  fire  going  out,  Mr.  Griffiths  arranged  that  one  of  the 
party  should  keep  watch.  The  doctor  offered  to  keep  the 
first  watch.  Mr.  Griffiths  and  the  rest  of  the  men  then 
stowed  themselves  away  close  under  the  cliff.  I,  feeling  no 
inclination  to  sleep,  joined  the  doctor,  who  was  sitting  by 
the  fire  on  one  of  the  water-casks,  every  now  and  then 
throwing  on  a  few  sticks  and  making  it  blaze  up  cheerfully. 
I  asked  him  if  the  ship  were  likely  to  return  soon  to  take 
us  off. 

"  Not  till  the  hurricane  is  over,"  he  said ;  "  the  captain 
will  not  like  to  come  near  the  coast  for  fear  of  being  driven 
on  it." 

"Then  you  think,  sir,  that  we  shall  remain  here  long 
enough  to  explore  the  island  ?  "  I  said. 

"  Why  do  you  wish  to  explore  the  islar.d  ?''  he  asked. 


264  Peter  Trawt. 

"  Because  I  have  a  notion  that  my  brother  Jack  is  upon 
it,'  1  replied.  "They  say  there  are  pigs  here,  and  there 
are,  no  doubt,  plenty  of  birds,  and  he  would  be  able  to  live 
as  well  as  Miles  Soper  and  Coal  did  on  Juan  Fernandez." 

"  But  it's  a  hundred  to  one — I  may  say  a  thousand  to 
one — that  the  boat  was  driven  here;  besides  which,  so 
many  whalers  pass  by  this  island  that  he  would  have  been 
seen  and  taken  off  even  if  he  had  come  here.  You  only 
raise  up  such  ideas  to  disappoint  yourself.  Don't  think 
about  it;  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep." 

Notwithstanding  what  the  doctor  had  said,  I  could  not 
get  the  idea  out  of  my  head,  and  longed  for  morning,  that 
I  might  set  off  and  make  a  tour  round  the  island  with  Jim, 
who,  I  knew,  would  be  ready  to  come  with  me,  as  would 
Miles  Soper  and  some  of  the  others. 

Notwithstanding  the  howling  of  the  wind  above  our  heads, 
and  the  wild  roar  of  the  breakers  on  the  rocky  coast,  con- 
trary to  my  expectation  I  fell  fast  asleep,  and  didn't  wake 
till  the  mate  roused  up  all  hands  at  daylight  The  storm 
was  raging  as  wildly  as  ever.  Furious  torrents  of  rain  had 
come  down,  but  the  watch  had  managed  to  keep  in  the  fire, 
and  we  all  gathered,  round  it  to  cook  some  more  fish  and 
dry  our  damp  clothes.  We  were  in  good  spirits,  for  we 
knew  that  the  gale  would  blow  itself  out  in  a  short  time, 
and  we  expected  that  the  ship  would  then  come  and  take 
us  off. 

As  soon  as  I  proposed  to  Jim  to  explore  the  island,  he 
at  once  agreed  to  accompany  me.  The  doctor  and  Miles 
Soper  also  said  that  they  would  go.  The  latter  carried  one 
of  the  muskets,  which  the  mate  said  we  might  take,  and  the 
rest  of  us  armed  ourselves  with  long  pointed  sticks.  The 
mate  thought  we  might  as  well  go  armed,  for  though  the 
island  had  hitherto  been  uninhabited,  it  was  possible  that 
some  savages  might  have  been  driven  as  far  north  in  their 


Our  Life  on  an   L/ninhabited  Island.     265 

double  canoes,  and  might  attack  us  if  they  found  we  were 
unable  to  defend  ourselves. 

We  took  some  cooked  fish  for  provisions,  and  we  hoped 
to  find  water  as  we  proceeded.  We  had  first  to  make  our 
way  thiough  a  thick  forest,  of  what  the  doctor  called  tamana- 
trees — sume  of  them  being  of  gigantic  size.  It  was  often 
so  dark  beneath  their  thick  boughs  that  we  c~uld  with  diffi- 
culty see  our  way  ;  but  we  went  on,  guided  by  the  doctor's 
pocket-compass,  in  a  straight  line,  until  we  at  length  got 
out  of  the  forest  into  more  open  country.  He  proposed 
going  on  till  we  reached  a  hill  which  we  saw  some  way  off, 
and  there  to  light  a  fire,  that  the  smoke  might  attract  the 
attention  of  any  one  living  on  the  island.  He  carried  out 
his  plan,  and  collecting  sticks  as  we  neared  the  spot,  having 
brought  tinder  and  matches,  we  quickly  had  a  fire  blazing. 
We  looked  in  vain,  however,  all  lound  the  island  for  an 
an  wering  signal. 

"  Perhaps,  if  there  is  any  one,  he  is  down  by  the  shore, 
and  has  no  means  of  s  riking  a  light,"  said  the  doctor;  "or 
maybe  he  is  still  sheltering  himself  from  the  storm." 

As  this  seemed  very  likely,  leaving  the  fire  burning,  we 
made  our  way  down  to  the  beach  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
island. 

The  view  from  the  hill  on  the  north  side  showed  us  only 
rugged  and  broken  ground,  and  we  therefore  proceeded 
along  the  shore  as  close  as  we  could  get  towards  the  southern 
end.  We  saw  plenty  of  birds,  which  would  have  afforded  us 
food  if  we  had  had  time  to  stop  and  shoot  them.  It  was 
somewhat  rough  work,  especially  in  the  more  exposed  places 
against  the  wind.  At  last  we  got  back  to  the  part  we  had 
started  from,  just  as  night  was  falling.  From  every  height 
we  kept  a  look-out  for  the  ship,  but  she  did  not  appear. 

"  You're  convinced  now,  Peter,  that  your  brother  is  not 
on  this  island,"  said  the  doctor.  "  I  should  have  rejoiced 


266  Peter  Trawl. 

if  we  had  found  him,  but  I  did  not  think  it  at  all  likely  that 
he  is  here.  However,  that  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not 
be  somewhere  else." 

We  had  found  water  on  our  way,  and  the  mate  had  dis- 
covered a  spring  not  far  from  our  camp.  The  hurricane, 
which  had  abated  somewhat  during  the  day,  came  on  again 
as  night  approached,  and  we  were  thankful  to  obtain  the 
shelter  of  our  rock.  The  wind  blew  more  furiously  than 
ever,  the  lightning  flashed  and  ran  along  the  ground — now 
and  again  crashes  were  heard  as  some  tall  tree  was  struck 
and  rent  in  two,  while  the  rain  at  times  came  down  in 
torrents,  and  nearly  put  out  the  fire.  We,  however,  got 
shelter  from  the  overhanging  rock. 

We  had  just  done  supper,  when  Mr.  Griffiths  observed, 

"I'm  afraid  something  may  happen  to  our  boat.  The 
breakers  sound  so  loud  that  they  perhaps  are  dashing  over 
the  reef,  and  the  sea  may  sweep  up  and  carry  her  off." 

We  hurried  down  to  where  we  had  left  the  boat.  A  bright 
flash  of  lightning  revealed  her  to  us,  with  the  seething 
water  rushing  up  under  her  keel.  Dashing  forward,  we 
seized  her  just  as  a  second  wave  was  lifting  her,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  would  have  carried  her  off.  We  dragged  her  up 
the  beach  till  we  had  placed  her,  as  we  hoped,  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  water. 

While  we  were  thus  employed  we  heard  a  loud  crash 
coming  from  the  direction  of  our  camp.  On  returning,  we 
discovered  our  fire  nearly  out,  but  it  blazed  sufficiently  to 
show  us  a  mass  of  earth  and  rock,  and  two  tall  trees,  which 
had  fallen  on  the  very  spot  where  a  few  minutes  before  we 
had  all  been  collected. 

We  were  thankful  for  our  preservation,  though  we  had 
lost  the  only  shelter  we  knew  of.  The  mate  suggested  that 
we  should  go  back  to  the  boat,  turn  her  over,  and  creep 
under  her  for  shelter.  As  no  trees  were  near  where  she  lay, 


Our  Life  on  an   Uninhabited  Island.     267 

we  hoped  that  we  might  thus  rest  in  perfect  safety.  Having 
taken  the  things  OIK  of  her,  we  did  as  he  proposed,  and  one 
by  one  crept  in,  and  stretched  ourselves  upon  the  damp 
ground.  After  the  exertions  I  had  made  during  the  day  I 
felt  very  sleepy,  and  though  I  remained  awake  for  some 
time  thinking  of  Jack,  my  eyes  at  length  closed. 

I  was  awakened  by  hearing  three  distinct  loud  raps  on  the 
bottom  of  the  boat.  1  fancied  that  I  must  be  dreaming,  but 
I  found  that  Jim  and  Horner,  who  were  sleeping  next  to 
me,  were  awake,  and  had  heard  the  sounds. 

"  What  are  you  lads  making  that  noise  for  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Griffiths. 

I  told  him  of  the  raps  which  had  awakened  me. 

"  I  thought  it  was  one  of  you  that  made  them,"  he  said. 

"  I  heard  them  also,"  remarked  the  doctor,  from  his  end 
of  the  boat. 

The  rest  of  the  men  were  asleep ;  all  of  us  were  inside, 
and  the  sound  certainly  came  from  the  outside.  On  this  I 
crawled  out  from  under  the  boat,  half  expecting  to  see  some 
one  standing  there,  but  neither  human  being  nor  animal  was 
visible.  The  rain  had  ceased,  but  the  night  was  very  dark, 
and  there  was  time  for  a  person  after  the  knocks  had  been 
given  to  retreat  into  the  woods.  Still,  I  didn't  think  that  it 
could  have  been  Jack.  I  returned  to  the  boat,  supposing 
that  whoever  had  knocked  would  knock  again.  The  ex- 
pectation of  this  kept  me  awake,  and  I  determined  that  I 
would  try  to  spring  out  and  catch  the  person,  whoever  he 
was.  I  waited,  however,  in  vain,  and  in  less  than  two 
hours  saw  the  daylight  coming  in  under  the  gunwale. 

The  surf  was  still  breaking  with  a  loud  roar  on  the  rocks, 
but  the  wind  had  ceased  to  howl  through  the  trees,  and  I 
hoped  that  the  hurricane  was  nearly  over.  The  noise  I 
made  in  getting  out  from  under  the  boat  awakened  those 
sleeping  near  me,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  were  soon  on  foot. 


268  Peter  Trawl. 

The  first  thing  we  did  was  to  go  back  to  our  camp  and 
see  the  effect  of  the  landslip.  The  spot  where  we  had  been 
sitting  was  covered  with  a  large  mass  of  earth,  rocks,  and 
trees.  We  found  a  hollow  in  tiie  rock  near  the  spot,  which 
appeared  safe,  and  here  we  determined  to  light  a  fire  and 
cook  some  more  of  our  fish.  •  While  most  of  the  people 
were  thus  employed,  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  doctor,  and  I 
climbed  to  the  highest  rock  in  the  neighbourhood,  that  we 
might  take  a  look-out  for  the  ship.  The  sun  was  just  rising, 
and  cast  a  ruddy  glow  over  the  still  heaving  ocean  covered 
with  foam-crested  seas,  which,  rolling  in  towards  the  shore, 
broke  into  masses  of  spray  as  they  reached  the  surrounding 
reefs.  In  vain  we  looked  round  for  the  ship;  not  the 
slightest  speck  of  white  appeared  above  the  horizon. 

"  Can  anything  have  happened  to  her  ?  "  said  the  doctor, 
in  an  anxious  tone. 

"  She  has  weathered  out  many  a  worse  gale  than  we  have 
just  had,"  observed  the  mate.  "  My  only  fear  is  that  in  at- 
tempting to  make  the  land  she  may  have  been  driven  on  one 
of  the  hidden  reefs  which  abound  everywhere  hereabouts." 

"And  if  so,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  inquired  the  doctor. 

"  We  must  try  to  reach  the  nearest  islands  inhabited  by 
civilised  people.  We  have  casks  sufficient  to  hold  water  for 
the  voyage." 

"  I  still  hope  she  will  come,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  but  we 
must  not  lose  heart  whatever  happens." 

Taking  another  look  round,  we  returned  to  the  camp, 
where  we  found  a  blazing  fire  and  the  fish  cooked.  We 
remained  all  that  day  and  the  next,  unable  to  get  out  and 
catch  any  more  fish.  By  this  time  our  stock  was  com- 
pletely exhausted — indeed,  for  the  last  day  it  had  been 
scarcely  eatable.  While  two  of  the  men  remained  on  shore 
to  collect  salt  from  the  rocks,  the  rest  of  us  went  off,  and 
with  the  crab-bait  soon  caught  .1  large  quintity  of  fish.  In 


Our  Life  on  an   Uninhabited  Island.     269 

two  days  we  got-  as  many  as  we  could  well  carry.  Some  of 
these  were  salted,  others  were  smoked  over  the  fire.  We 
didn't  fail,  as  may  be  supposed,  to  pay  frequent  visits  to  our 
look-out  place  on  the  rock.  Day  after  day  went  by  and  no 
sail  appeared. 

"  She's  not  coming  back,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths,  at  length ; 
"  something  must  have  happened  to  her ;  and  I  put  it  to 
you  whether  we  remain  here  or  try  to  reach  either  Japan  or 
the  Ladrones.  Though  Guam,  which  is  the  chief  island  of 
the  Ladrones,  is  much  farther  off  than  Japan,  we  are  likely 
to  receive  better  treatment  from  the  Spaniards  than  we  are 
from  the  Japanese,  who  may  either  send  us  off  again  or  put 
us  to  death.  The  passage  there  is  also  likely  to  prove  more 
boisterous  than  to  Guam." 

The  mate,  having  concluded  his  remarks,  put  the  matter 
to  the  vote.  Two  of  the  men  said  they  would  rather  remain 
on  the  island.  No  one  proposed  going  to  Japan,  and  the 
doctor  and  Miles  Soper  wished  to  steer  for  Guam.  The  rest 
of  us  voted  with  them.  The  mate  considered  that  the 
sooner  we  were  off  the  better.  He  said  that  the  island  was 
not  a  bad  residence,  but  that  when  the  winter  came  on  we 
should  have  rains  and  storms,  and  might  be  unable  to  catch 
any  fish  or  find  other  means  of  supporting  life. 

We  therefore  at  once  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  the  voyage. 

We  first  put  off  and  caught  a  supply  of  fish,  which  we 
cured  as  before.  We  might  have  killed  some  birds,  but  we 
were  unwilling  to  expend  our  small  stock  of  powder,  which 
we  might  require  to  defend  ourselves  against  any  natives 
who  might  prove  hostile. 

Led  by  the  doctor,  Brown,  Jim,  and  I  started  to  explore 
the  neighbourhood,  to  collect  scurvy  grass  or  roots  of  any 
sort  which  might  serve  as  vegetables.  The  natural  pro- 
ductions of  the  country  appeared  to  be  very  limited,  but  we 
dug  up  some  roots  which  the  doctor  pronounced  wholesome. 


270  Ptter  Trawl, 

We  were  about  returning  in  despair  of  obtaining  what  we 
wanted,  when  we  came,  near  the  shore  on  the  other  side  of 
the  bay,  on  a  small  open  space  overgrown  with  what  at 
first  looked  like  weeds,  but  I  saw  the  doctor's  eye  brighten 
as  he  espied  them.  Hurrying  on  he  pulled  away  eagerly 
at  the  seeming  weeds. 

"  Here  are  onions,"  he  cried,  "  of  more  value  to  us  than 
gold ;  and  see,  here  are  potatoes,  and  these  are  cabbages, 
though  somewhat  overgrown,  but  there  are  leaves  enough 
to  supply  us  for  a  month," 

We  set  to  work  to  dig  up  the  onions  and  potatoes  with 
our  pointed  sticks,  and  to  pull  away  at  the  cabbage  leaves. 

"Some  beneficent  person  must  have  planted  a  garden 
here  not  long  ago,"  said  the  doctor,  as  we  were  labouring 
with  might  and  main.  "  These  vegetables  may  be  the 
means  of  preserving  our  lives,  for  without  them  we  should 
have  run  a  great  risk  of  suffering  from  scurvy." 

We  each  of  us  loaded  ourselves  with  as  many  of  the  roots 
as  we  could  carry,  and  staggered  back  with  them  to  camp. 
We  were  received  with  a  loud  shout  by  our  companions, 
who  knew  the  value  of  what  we  had  brought. 

We  quickly  had  some  of  the  potatoes  roasting  in  the 
ashes,  on  which,  with  some  onions  and  fish,  we  made  a 
more  hearty  meal  than  we  had  taken  since  we  landed.  We 
had  fortunately  an  iron  pot,  in  which  we  were  able  to  boil  a 
quantity  of  the  potatoes,  and  afterwards  the  greens  and 
some  of  the  roots,  which,  being  well-seasoned  with  salt,  the 
doctor  hoped  would  keep  for  some  time. 

All  our  preparations  being  made,  one  morning,  having 
breakfasted  at  daylight,  the  doctor  and  I  went  up  to  the 
top  of  the  rock  to  take  a  last  look-out  for  the  ship.  On 
coming  down  we  saw  the  boat  in  the  water  loaded,  when, 
all  hands  getting  aboard,  we  shoved  off  and  stood  out 
through  the  reef  with  a  fair  breeze  from  the  north-west  and 


HOW    WE    LIVEP    ON    THE   ISLAND. 


fa  ft  270. 


Our  Life  on  an   Uninhabited  Island.     271 

a  smooth  sea.  The  wind  would  have  been  directly  against 
us  had  we  been  bound  for  Japan,  so  we  were  glad  that  we 
had  decided  to  sail  to  the  southward. 

Our  boat  was  somewhat  deeply  laden  with  provisions  and 
water,  but  our  cargo  would  be  rapidly  lightened,  and  Mr. 
Griffiths  told  us  we  must  be  prepared  to  heave  some  of  it 
overboard  should  bad  weather  come  on.  We  were  all  in 
health  and  good  spirits,  our  chief  anxiety  being  about  the 
fate  of  the  ship. 

I  must  pass  rapidly  over  the  first  part  of  our  voyage.  We 
had  the  boat's  compass  to  steer  by,  but  having  no  quadrant 
to  take  an  observation  or  log-line  to  mark  accurately  the 
distance  run,  we  could  only  guess  at  the  rate  we  made. 
Mr.  Griffiths,  however,  was  a  good  navigator,  and  was 
pretty  certain  that  he  was  correct.  We  had,  we  fancied, 
plenty  of  food,  but  from  the  first  he  put  us  all  on  an 
allowance  of  water. 

While  the  sea  remained  smooth  he  also  made  us  change 
our  places  constantly,  and  by  the  doctor's  advice  he  ordered 
one  at  a  time  to  stand  up  and  move  his  arms  and  legs  about 
to  prevent  them  from  becoming  stiff.  He  also  encouraged 
us  to  spin  yarns  and  sing  songs ;  indeed,  he  did  everything 
in  his  power  to  keep  us  in  good  spirits. 

After  the  first  day  of  our  landing  we  had  not  touched  any 
of  the  biscuits  we  had  brought  with  us.  These  we  now 
husbanded  with  great  care  in  case  our  other  provisions 
should  run  short  or  spoil,  which  the  doctor  feared  might 
be  the  case.  We  were  much  indebted  to  him  for  the 
precautions  taken,  as  Mr.  Griffiths  carried  out  all  his 
suggestions. 

We  had  a  whole  week  of  fine  weather,  and  we  could 
favourably  compare  our  lot  with  that  of  many  poor  fellows 
who  had  to  voyage  in  open  boats  in  the  Pacific,  exposed  to 
storms,  and  often  with  a  scant  allowance  of  food  and  water. 


272  FeUr  Trawl. 

The  wind  was  generally  from  the  northward,  and  when  it 
fell  calm  we  took  to  our  oars.  Mr.  Griffiths  told  us  that  we 
had  a  distance  of  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  miles  to 
run,  as  far  as  he  could  calculate,  and  that  if  the  fine  weather 
continued  we  might  hope  to  reach  Guam  in  ten  days  or  a 
fortnight. 

We  had  got  on  so  well  that  we  began  to  fancy  that  we 
should  have  no  difficulties  to  encounter.  We  were,  of 
course,  constantly  on  the  look-out  for  vessels.  At  length 
we  sighted  a  sail,  but  she  was  standing  away  from  us.  We 
steered  after  her  for  some  distance,  but  before  nightfall  her 
topgallant  sails  sank  beneath  the  horizon,  and  we  again  kept 
on  our  course. 

"  I  wonder  whether  that  craft  out  there  is  the  Intrepid?" 
said  Jim  to  me. 

"  Little  chance  of  that,"  I  remarked.  "  If  she  escaped 
shipwreck,  or  has  not  been  severely  damaged,  she  would 
have  come  to  look  for  us  long  before  we  left  the  island." 

"Perhaps  the  skipper  fancied  that  we  were  lost,  and 
didn't  think  it  worth  while  to  come  and  look  for  us,"  said  Jim. 
Four  days  after  this,  according  to  Mr.  Griffiths's  calcula- 
tions, we  were  in  the  latitude  of  Guam,  but  to  the  eastward 
of  the  island.  Brown,  however,  was  of  opinion  that  we  had 
run  farther  to  the  south,  and  that  if  we  stood  east  we  should 
see  it  on  our  port  bow.  We  accordingly  hauled  up  on  the 
port  tack.  Scarcely  had  we  done  so  when  the  weather, 
which  had  lately  looked  threatening,  completely  changed, 
A  strong  wind  began  to  blow  from  the  north-west ;  it  rapidly 
increased,  and  the  sea  got  up  and  began  to  break  over  the 
bows  in  a  way  which  threatened  to  swamp  the  boat.  Three 
hands  baled  away  together,  but  even  thus  we  could  scarcely 
keep  the  boat  free  of  water. 

"We  must  form  a  raft  to  serve  as  a  breakwater,"  said 
Mr.  Griffiths. 


Our  Life  on  an  Uninhabited  Island.     273 

We  lashed  three  oars  together,  the  sail  was  Towered,  the 
boat  rounded  to,  and  the  raft,  with  a  stout  rope  to  it,  was 
hove  overboard,  the  rope  being  secured  to  the  bows.  At 
the  same  time  the  steering-oar  was  peaked  and  fixed  into 
the  after-thwart,  with  the  flat  of  the  blade  facing  the  bows. 
This  served  as  a  sail,  and  kept  the  boat's  head  to  the  sea. 

Thus,  with  the  seas  roaring  and  hissing  round  us,  driving 
at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour  to  the  southward  and  west, 
we  prepared  to  pass  the  n:«ht.  all  of  us  feeling  that  we 
might  never  see  another  sun  rise. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
A  PERILOUS   VOYAGE  IN  THE   WHALEBOA7. 

*  I  "*HE  night  was  very  dark,  the  sea  rose  fearfully  high. 
_L  Now  the  water  broke  over  the  starboard,  now  over 
the  port  bow,  nearly  swamping  the  boat,  and  all  hands  were 
employed  in  baling  it  out.  We  worked  for  our  lives,  for 
should  another  sea  come  before  the  boat  was  clear  she 
might  be  swamped.  Some  of  the  men  cried  out  that  we 
should  not  live  through  the  night 

Mr.  Griffiths  and  the  doctor  cheered  them  up,  but  if  it 
hadn't  boen  for  the  raft  ahead,  which  broke  the  seas,  I  be- 
lieve that  we  must  have  gone  down.  I  had  heard  of  boats 
being  saved  by  hanging  on  under  the  lee  of  a  dead  whale, 
but  I  had  not  supposed  that  a  few  oars  lashed  together 
would  have  served  as  an  effectual  breakwater. 

The  peaked  oar  played  a  most  important  part  by  keeping 
the  boat's  head  to  the  wind,  and  at  a  sufficient  distance  from 
the  raft.  She  must  otherwise  have  broached  to,  and  it  must 
have  been  driven  against  her  and  stove  in  the  side. 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  clear  of  water,  Brown  sang  out, 
"  Now  let's  have  a  stave,  lads,"  and  he  began  to  sing,  but 
few  were  able  to  join  in  with  him. 

Jim  and  I  tried,  knowing  Brown's  object,  but  we  had 
scarcely  got  through  a  verse  when  another  sea  came  roaring 
on  board,  nearly  carrying  over  the  men  in  the  bows,  and 
washing  away  some  of  our  provisions.  We  all  had  imme- 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  Whakboat.     275 

d  lately  to  turn  to  again  and  bale  out  the  boat.  No  one 
thought  of  singing  after  this,  for  directly  we  were  free  of 
one  sea  another  broke  aboard  us.  It  was  a  mercy  that  they 
didn't  come  together. 

"  We  must  pray  to  God,  lads,"  cried  Mr.  Griffiths.     "  He 
who  rules  the  seas  and  winds,  if  we  ask  Him,  can  save  us 
if  He  thinks  fit.     Don't  cease  baling.     He  likes  people  to  ' 
work  and  pray,  but  not  to  fall  down  on  their  knees  while 
there's  work  to  be  done  and  leave  it  undone." 

He  and  the  doctor  set  the  example  by  baling  away  as 
hard  as  any  of  us.  We  had  the  boat's  regular  balers,  our 
iron  pot,  and  a  couple  of  small  buckets  ;  the  rest  of  us  used 
our  hats  and  caps.  Still,  do  all  we  could,  it  was  a  difficult 
matter  to  keep  the  boat  free  from  water.  We  were  wet 
through,  as  was  everything  in  the  boat,  and  we  were  afraid 
that  our  provisions  would  be  spoilt,  except  perhaps  the 
onions  and  potatoes. 

Hour  after  hour  went  slowly  by,  for  we  had  no  time  for 
talking  to  make  it  appear  shorter.  Still  the  night  did  come 
to  an  end  at  last,  but  there  were  no  signs  of  the  gale  abating. 
As  soon  as  the  sun  rose  we  looked  out  eagerly  on  all  sides 
for  land.  Nothing  broke  the  uniform  line  of  the  horizon 
except  the  foam-topped  seas,  which  rose  up  tumultuously 
between  us  and  it  We  were  driving  all  this  time,  it  must 
be  remembered,  to  the  southward  at  the  rate,  the  mate  said,  ; 
of  two  knots  an  hour,  so  that  if  we  had  been  near  Guam 
when  the  gale  came  on  we  were  being  driven  farther  and 
farther  from  it,  and  it  would  be  a  hard  matter  to  regain  the 
island. 

We  had  taken  nothing  during  the  night,  and  we  now  all  cried 
out  for  food.  The  store  of  salt  fish  we  had  remaining  was 
scarcely  eatable,  for  the  salt  had  been  washed  out  of  it,  and 
it  was  becoming  bad.  What  we  had  smoked  was  a  little 
better,  but  that  also  was  almost  spoilt,  yet  such  as  it  was  we 


2'/6  Ptter  Trawl. 

were  glad  to  have  a  portion  with  an  onion  apiece,  and  a 
small  mug  half  full  of  water.  The  mate  would  give  us  no 
more. 

"  What  I  do  is  for  the  good  of  all  of  us,  lads,"  he  said. 
"  I  can't  tell  when  we  may  make  the  land,  or  what  provisions 
we  may  find  when  we  get  there." 

Horner  sang  out,  "We  had  some  biscuit.  What  has 
become  of  that  ?  Why  don't  you  let  us  have  a  piece  for 
our  breakfasts  ?  " 

"  Because  the  biscuits  will  keep  longer  than  anything  else, 
and  are  all  we  may  have  to  depend  upon,"  answered  the 
doctor,  who  had  got  them  under  him  in  the  stern-sheets,  and 
had^been  trying  from  the  first  to  keep  them  as  free  from 
water  as  possible. 

We  had  till  now  fancied  that  we  had  an  abundance  of 
food,  but  some  had  been  washed  overboard  and  some  had 
been  completely  spoilt,  so  we  found  to  our  dismay  that  we 
had  a  very  small  quantity  remaining.  Horner  now  began 
to  complain  bitterly  of  hunger  and  thirst,  declaring  that  if 
he  didn't  get  some  food  he  must  die. 

Jim  and  I  endeavoured  to  cheer  him  up.  It  was  not  a 
matter  to  joke  about ;  indeed  I  was  myself  feeling  the 
pangs  of  hunger  and  getting  weaker  and  less  able  to  work, 
though  I  did  my  best.  Jim  kept  up  better  than  I  did.  We 
had  not  much  time  to  be  thinking,  however,  for  we  we^e 
compelled  to  be  constantly  baling  the  greater  part  of  the 
day. 

Towards  evening  the  sun  broke  through  the  western 
clouds,  sending  his  rays  athwart  the  troubled  ocean,  and 
tinging  the  seas  with  a  ruddy  hue,  while  his  heat  dried  our 
wet  clothes. 

Soon  afterwards  the  wind  began  to  drop,  but  the  seas 
still  ran  so  high  that  the  mate  thought  it  prudent  to  hang 
on  some  time  longer  to  our  raft.  However,  they  no  longer 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  Whaleboat.     277 

broke  on  board  as  they  had  been  doing,  and  we  had  better 
hopes  than  on  the  previous  night  that  we  should  see  another 
sun  rise.  We  had  been  awake  so  long  that  none  of  us  were 
able  to  keep  our  eyes  open,  and  I  suspect  that  at  times 
every  person  in  the  boat  was  fast  asleep.  I  know  for  my 
part  that  I  must  have  dozed  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
night,  for  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  the  mate's  voice 
saying, 

"  Now,  lads,  we  will  get  the  raft  on  board  and  make 
sail." 

I  jumped  up  to  lend  a  hand.  We  got  the  oars  out  and 
put  the  boat  before  the  seas  while  we  set  up  the  mast  and 
hoisted  the  sail. 

The  wind  was  still  in  the  same  quarter,  blowing  directly 
from  where  we  supposed  Guam  to  be,  and  as  there  were  no 
hopes  of  making  it  the  mate  determined  to  run  for  some 
island  to  the  southward,  where,  though  it  might  be  unin- 
habited, we  should  probably  find  cocoa-nuts  and  water,  and 
might  catch  some  fish. 

As  none  of  the  islands  are  very  close  together  we  ran  a 
great  risk  of  passing  between  them  without  seeing  land,  but 
then  again  he  argued  that  we  might  be  days  or  weeks  beating 
up  to  Guam,  and  as  he  could  not  tell  its  exact  position,  we 
might  even  pass  it  after  all,  while  by  keeping  to  the  south 
we  might  have  a  better  prospect  of  having  fine  weather,  and 
finding  food  on  any  shore  at  which  we  might  touch.  On 
the  other  hand  again  there  was  the  risk  of  falling  among 
savages,  for  the  natives  of  these  latitudes  were  known  to  be 
fierce,  treacherous,  and  inhospitable  to  strangers. 

We  might,  however,  possibly  meet  with  some  ship,  as  we 
should  cross  the  course  pursued  by  Spanish  vessels  sailing 
from  America  to  the  Philippines.  Should  we  pass  through 
the  Caroline  group  we  should  have  another  long  channel  to 
sail  over,  and  must  then  reach  the  coast  of  New  Guinea. 


278  Peier  Trawl. 

If  driven  thus  far  south  our  prospect  of  escape  was  small 
indeed ;  though  we  might  obtain  food,  the  people  were 
supposed  to  be  extiemely  savage  and  cruel. 

The  doctor,  to  cheer  us,  said  that  he  had  some  doubts 
about  that,  for  although  such  was  the  chaiacter  of  the 
natives  of  some  parts,  there  were  others  who  might  treat  us 
kindly  should  we  fall  among  them,  provided  we  behaved 
well  and  showed  that  we  wished  to  be  friendly. 

As  we  sailed  on  the  sea  gradually  went  down,  and  at 
length  we  were  running  with  a  light  breeze  over  the  smooth 
ocean.  Though  at  first  the  warm  sun  was  pleasant  it  soon 
became  very  hot,  and  \\hile  it  dried  our  clothes  increased 
our  thirst. 

At  the  same  time  the  heat  destroyed  the  remaining  por- 
tion of  our  fish,  which  became  so  bad  that  we  were  obliged 
to  throw  it  overboard.  We  had  now  only  a  few  raw  pota- 
toes and  onions,  and  the  little  store  of  biscuits  which  the 
doctor  had  so  wisely  husbanded. 

The  mate  told  us  that  we  must  make  up  our  minds  to 
live  on  very  short  allowance,  and  be  content  with  a  quarter 
of  a  biscuit,  an  onion,  and  a  small  piece  of  raw  potato. 
To  make  the  latter  more  wholesome  he  cut  them  and  hung 
them  up  to  dry  in  the  sun.  Our  food  was  served  out  about 
noon,  and  each  day  we  sat  eagerly  waiting  for  the  hour. 
Horner  would  turn  his  eyes  up  and  watch  the  sun  till  he 
fancied  that  it  had  gained  its  greatest  altitude,  and  then  cry 
out  to  the  mate, 

"  It  must  be  twelve  o'clock,  now,  sir.  Won't  Dr.  Cockle 
look  at  his  watch  and  see  ?  " 

The  doctor  was  the  only  person  who  kept  his  watch 
•wound  up.  The  mate  had  collected  all  the  provisions  and 
placed  them  in  the  stem-sheets,  and  he  didn't  think  fit 
to  tell  us  how  rapidly  they  were  going.  The  quantity  he 
served  out  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep  body  and  soul 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  Whaleboat.     279 

together,  but  he  acted  for  the  best ;  there  was  no  doubt 
about  that.  We  were  all  becoming  rapidly  weaker,  and 
longing  for  some  substantial  fare.  Horner  at  last  cried  out 
that  if  he  didn't  get  it  he  must  die.  Two  or  three  of  the 
other  men  said  much  the  same  thing.  As  I  looked  at  their 
faces  I  felt  afraid  that  they  spoke  the  truth.  Our  limbs 
were  swollen,  and  we  felt  so  stiff  that  we  were  scarcely 
able  to  move. 

"  Trust  in  God,  lads,"  said  the  mate,  to  try  and  cheer 
us  up. 

We  were  no  longer  inclined  to  spin  yarns  or  sing  songs, 
and  only  now  and  then  exchanged  a  few  words  with  each 
other.  Not  long  after  this,  as  I  was  gazing  over  the  side,  I 
saw  a  movement  in  the  water,  and  presently  a  score  01 
flying-fish  rose  from  the  sea,  their  wings  glittering  in  the 
sunlight,  and  about  a  dozen  pitched  into  the  boat.  Oh, 
how  eagerly  we  all  stooped  down  to  seize  them  !  Just  then, 
as  I  was  looking  out,  expecting  some  more  to  come,  I  saw 
several  dolphins,  which  had  no  doubt  been  pursuing  the 
flying-fish,  and  now  came  close  up  to  the  boat,  looking  out 
for  them. 

Notwithstanding  our  hunger  the  doctor  advised  that  we 
should  split  the  fish  and  hang  them  up  in  the  sun  to  dry. 
We  were,  however,  too  hungry  to  do  this,  but  the  mate  in- 
sisted that  all  should  be  handed  to  him.  He  then  served 
out  to  each  of  us  half  a  fish,  which  we  eagerly  devoured. 
This  meal,  scanty  as  it  was,  somewhat  restored  our  strength. 

"  I  told  you  to  trust  in  God,  lads,"  said  the  mate.  "See 
He  has  sent  us  these  fish,  and  He'll  send  us  more,  never 
fear." 

Before  long  I  saw,  a  hundred  yards  off,  another  flight  of 
fly  ing- fish  rise  from  the  sea,  and  come  darting  through  the 
air  like  masses  of  silver,  when,  to  our  joy,  a  number  struck 
the  sail  and  dropped  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  The 


280  Peter  Trawl. 

mate  immediately  served  out  the  remainder  of  those  which 
had  at  first  been  sent  to  us.  This  made  the  men  cheer  up 
more  than  ever,  as  we  expected  that,  now  we  had  got  into 
the  tropics,  we  should  have  an  ample  supply  every  day. 

We  saw  large  quantities  of  dolphins,  bonitos,  and  albicores, 
which  pursue  the  flying-fish,  and  induce  them  to  seek  for 
safety  in  flight;  but  none  of  the  larger  fish  came  near  enough 
to  enable  us  to  catch  them,  though  Brown,  harpoon  in  hand, 
stood  up  as  long  as  he  could  keep  his  feet,  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  striking  one.  It  was  very  tantalising  to  see  them 
sporting  round  us,  and  yet  not  to  be  able  to  get  one  on 
board.  We  had,  however,  a  sufficient  number  of  flying-fish 
to  give  us  a  good  meal  each  for  that  and  the  next  day.  The 
mate  proposed  drying  some  in  the  sun  and  reserving  them 
in  case  no  more  should  come  aboard,  but  nearly  all  hands 
cried  out  that  we  were  certain  to  have  some  more  sent  us, 
and  begged  so  hard  to  have  the  fish  while  they  were  good 
that  the  mate  yielded  to  their  wishes. 

During  the  night  we  steered  south-east,  with  the  wind  on 
our  port  quarter.  It  was  in  that  direction  Mr.  Griffiths 
said  he  knew  the  islands  lay  thickest.  We  had  a  regular 
watch  set,  and  a  bright  look-out  kept  ahead,  for  we  could 
not  tell  when  we  might  come  upon  reefs,  and  the  boat 
might  be  knocked  to  pieces  on  some  uninhabited  spot 
where  neither  food  nor  water  was  to  be  procured.  The 
next  day  was  passed  much  as  the  previous  one  had  been, 
but  no  flying-fish  came  on  board,  though  we  saw  them 
glittering  in  the  air  in  the  distance.  It  was  drawing  to- 
wards evening  when  I  saw  a  black  triangular  fin,  which  I 
knew  to  be  that  of  a  shark,  coming  up  astern. 

"  What  are  you  looking  at  ?  "  asked  the  doctor 

I  told  him.  Presently  we  caught  sight  of  the  monster's 
cruel  eyes  and  back  a  couple  of  fathoms  from  the  boat.  I 
saw  by  their  looks  that  the  men  did  not  like  its  appearance. 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  Whaleboat.     281 

"  We  hab  him,"  cried  Sam  Goal  "  We  eat  him  if  he  no 
eat  us." 

Brown,  on  hearing  this  remark,  stood  up,  with  his  harpoon 
in  hand,  but  the  savage  brute  seemed  to  know  its  danger, 
and  kept  just  beyond  his  reach,  eyeing  us,  we  thought,  as  if 
he  expected  to  make  a  feast  of  the  whole  party. 

The  men  made  their  remarks  on  the  shark,  for  having 
had  sufficient  food  they  had  somewhat  recovered  their  spirits. 
Still  I  wished  that  the  shark  would  take  its  departure,  but  it 
kept  on  swimming  alongside  the  boat,  and  as  the  breeze 
freshened  it  made  faster  way  to  keep  up  with  us.  Brown  at 
last  proposed  shooting  it,  for  our  powder,  being  in  a  metal 
flask,  had  kepi  dry,  but  Mr.  Griffiths  objected  to  any  being 
expended  for  the  purpose.  It  was  a  hundred  to  one  that 
the  shark  would  be  killed,  he  said,  and  every  charge  might 
be  of  value.  Still,  as  no  flying-fish  had  been  caught,  the 
men  cried  out  that  they  must  have  the  shark,  and  Mr. 
Griffiths  at  length  allowed  Brown,  who  was  a  good  shot,  to 
try  and  hit  it  in  a  vital  part.  Just,  however,  as  he  stood 
up  with  the  musket  in  his  hands  the  shark  dived  and  dis- 
appeared. 

"  Ah,  ha,  Jack  Shark  know  what  you  going  to  do.  Him 
know  eberyting,"  said  Sam  Coal. 

Shortly  after  this  the  sun  sank  amid  a  bank  of  black  clouds, 
and  darkness  came  down  on  the  world  of  waters,  the  weather 
again  looking  very  threatening.  I  was  awakened  by  a  splash 
of  water  in  my  face.  On  sitting  up,  though  a  heavy  sea  was 
running,  I  found  that  the  boat  was  still  keeping  on  her 
course.  The  sail  had  been  reefed,  but  it  was  as  much  as 
we  could  carry.  Again  and  again  the  sea  .broke  on  board. 
The  sleepers  were  all  aroused,  and  we  had  to  bale  as  fast  as 
we  could. 

Presently  the  mate  said,  "  We  must  heave  her  to,  lads. 
Get  the  raft  rigged." 


282  Peter  Trawl. 

We  soon  had  this  done,  but  as  we  were  rounding  to  a 
heavy  sea  came  rolling  up,  and  breaking  on  board,  nearly 
carried  Sam  Coal  over  the  side.  The  raft  was  hove  imo 
the  water,  and  we  lay  head  to  wind  as  before,  with  the  oar 
apeak.  This  did  not  prevent  the  seas  from  occasionally 
breaking  on  board,  though  they  came  with  less  violence  than 
they  would  otherwise  have  done ;  but  the  boat  was  severely 
strained  and  shattered  as  they  beat  against  her,  and  she 
now  began  to  leak  in  a  way  which  gave  us  just  cause 
for  alarm. 

We  spent  the  night  baling  as  hard  as  we  could,  all 
striving  to  save  our  lives  ;  but  we  hoped  almost  against 
hope  that  we  should  succeed. 

At  last  some  of  the  men,  as  before,  began  to  despair, 
saying  that  it  was  as  well  to  die  now  as  a  few  hours  later, 
and  that  it  would  be  better  to  give  in  and  let  the  boat  sink, 
but  seeing  the  mate  and  doctor  calm  and  composed  as  ever, 
I  tried  to  imitate  their  example. 

"  God  wants  us  to  labour  on,  lads,"  cried  Mr.  Griffiths. 
"  He'll  help  us  if  we  do.  Gales  in  these  latitudes  never 
last  long.  Perhaps  to-morrow  we  shall  have  a  fine  day 
and  catch  some  more  flying-fish,  or  maybe  we  are  not  far  off 
from  an  island,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  stretch  our  legs  and 
find  plenty  of  cocoa-nuts,  and  perhaps  yams  and  pigs.  We 
shall  soon  have  a  fire  alight  and  something  cooking  before 
it,  and  then  won't  we  eat,  boys  ! " 

This  sort  of  talk  had  a  good  effect  upon  the  men,  and 
they  no  longer  had  any  thought  of  giving  in.  Still,  the 
night  went  by  very  slowly.  Sleeping,  even  if  we  had  had 
time,  with  the  water  washing  into  the  boat,  was  next  to 
impossible. 

Daylight  came  back  at  last,  and  as  the  sun  rose  the  clouds 
dispersed,  the  wind  rapidly  dropped,  and  the  sea  went 
do.vn.  In  a  short  time  the  mate  ordered  the  raft  to  be  got 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  Whaleboat.     283 

on  board,  and  we  ran  on  as  before.  We  were  very  nearly 
starving,  for  we  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  we  had 
devoured  the  raw  flying-fish  on  the  previous  day. 

"  The  doctor's  got  some  biscuit,"  said  one  of  the  men, 
and  they  at  once  all  cried  out,  begging  that  they  might 
have  it.  The  mate,  however,  would  only  give  us  a  quarter 
of  a  biscuit  each,  with  a  little  water.  It  just  served  to  stay 
the  gnawings  of  hunger,  but  as  the  day  grew  on  we  wanted 
food  as  much  as  ever,  and  our  spirits  again  sank. 

For  the  first  time  I  began  to  think  that  I  should  not 
survive,  even  if  the  mate  and  Dr.  Cockle  did.  Though  they 
had  eaten  no  more  than  any  of  us,  they  endured  their 
sufferings  better.  By  this  time  we  were  a  scarecrow  crew, 
our  hair  long,  our  faces  wan,  our  bodies  shrunk,  and  our 
skin  tanned  to  a  yellow  by  the  hot  sun.  At  last  the  men 
entreated  that  they  might  have  the  remainder  of  the  biscuit, 
declaring  that  they  were  ready  to  die  after  they  had  had  one 
good  meal  if  we  could  not  catch  any  more  flying-fish. 

"  No.  lads,"  said  Mr  Griffiths  ;  "  I  know  what  is  best  for 
you.  Your  lives  are  committed  to  my  charge,  and  I'll  not 
yield  to  your  wishes.  See,  while  you  have  been  talking  the 
water  has  been  coming  into  the  boat.  Turn  to  and  bale 
away." 

They  obeyed,  though  with  scowling  countenances.  The 
mate  had  both  the  guns  in  the  stern  sheets,  and  he  and  the 
doctor  looked  as  if  they  were  prepared  to  resist  violence. 
The  men  knew  also  that  Jim  and  I  would  have  sided  with 
the  officers.  The  wind  had  dropped,  and  with  a  gentle 
breeze  we  were  gliding  on,  when  suddenly,  not  ten  yards 
off,  a  number  of  flying-fish  rose  out  of  the  water  and  came 
towards  the  boat.  Some  struck  the  sail,  and  others  we 
beat  back  with  our  hands. 

"I   told   you  not  to   despair,  lads,"  said  Mr.   Griffiths. 
"  Thank  God  for  what  He  has  sent  us  ! " 


284  Peter  Trawl. 

I  believe  we  all  did  so  most  heartily.  The  mate  allowed 
all  the  fish  we  had  caught  to  be  eaten.  I  heard  the  doctor 
ask  him  why  he  did  so,  as  we  might  catch  no  more  till  the 
next  day. 

"  I'll  tell  you  presently,"  he  answered 

We  had  finished  our  meal,  with  just  a  small  piece  of 
biscuit  apiece  and  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  water,  when  the 
mate  stood  up,  and,  shading  his  eyes,  gazed  ahead. 

"  I  would  not  say  so  before,  lads,  for  fear  of  disappoint- 
ing you,  but  I  now  tell  you  that  we're  in  sight  of  land.  It 
is  not  very  large,  and  may  not  be  inhabited ;  it  may  have  no 
cocoa-nuts  or  other  vegetables  on  it,  but  it  will  give  us  room 
to  stretch  our  legs,  and  we  may  be  able  to  catch  as  many 
fish  as  we  want  off  it." 

"  Thank  God  1 "  burst  from  the  lips  of  most  of  the  crew, 
and  I  and  some  others  knelt  down  to  return  thanks  to  Him 
who  had  thus  far  preserved  us,  while  we  prayed  that  we 
might  be  brought  in  time  to  a  place  of  safety. 

We  all  now  wanted  to  stand  up  and  see  the  land.  The 
mate  told  us  to  sit  quiet,  but  he  allowed  each  one  of  us  at 
a  time  to  rise  to  our  feet  and  take  a  look  ahead.  A  blue 
irregular  line  could  just  be  distinguished  above  the  horizon, 
clear  and  defined.  That  it  was  land  none  of  us  had  any 
doubt.  A  fair  breeze  carried  us  along  at  the  rate  of  four  or 
five  knots  an  hour.  In  less  than  a  couple  of  hours  we 
might  hope  to  be  on  shore,  but  the  sun  was  sinking,  and  it 
would  be  dark,  unless  the  breeze  freshened,  before  we  could 
reach  it 

In  a  short  time  the  wind  fell,  on  which  our  hopes  of  land- 
ing before  night  were  disappointed.  We  got  out  the  oars, 
however,  and  pulled  on. 

"  We  must  be  careful,  lads,"  said  the  mate,  after  we  had 
rowed  some  distance. 

"  Most  of  these  islands  are  surrounded  by  coral  reefs,  and 


A  Perilous  Voyage  in  the  WhaleboaL      285 

we  may  run  upon  one  of  them  in  the  dark  and  knock  the 
boat  to  pieces.  We  must  heave  to,  shortly,  and  wait  for 
daylight." 

Some  of  the  men  grumbled  at  this,  and  asserted  that  the 
noise  of  the  surf  upon  the  reefs  would  give  us  sufficient 
notice  when  we  were  approaching  them,  but  the  mate  was 
firm. 

"I  will  not  risk  the  safety  of  the  boat  for  the  sake  of 
getting  on  shore  a  few  hours  earlier,"  he  said. 

We  all,  however,  had  the  satisfaction  of  taking  another 
look  at  the  land  and  assuring  ourselves  that  it  was  land 
before  darkness  came  on.  Mr.  Griffiths  then  ordered  us  to 
lay  in  our  oars,  and  except  two  who  were  to  keep  watch  and 
bale  out  the  water  which  leaked  into  the  boat,  to  lie  down 
and  go  to  sleep. 

I  don't  think  many  of  us  did  sleep.  We  were  all  thinking 
too  much  about  getting  on  shore  in  the  morning  to  care  for 
rest.  We  forgot  that  before  that  time  another  gale  might 
spring  up  and  drive  us  off  the  land,  or  dash  the  boat  a 
hopeless  wreck  upon  the  coral  reef. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MORE  STARTLING  ADVENTURES. 

rTT*HE  night  passed  by,  and  as  dawn  at  length  broke,  the 

JL  mate  rousing  up  all  hands,  we  hoisted  the  sail,  and 
again  stood  towards  the  land.  The  sea  was  smooth,  and 
the  wind  light  and  fair. 

As  we  glided  on,  the  mate  told  Brown  to  stand  up  in  the 
bows  and  keep  a  look-out  for  reefs.  As  we  approached  the 
land  we  could  see  trees  on  the  shore  and  some  on  the  hill, 
so  that  we  had  no  doubt  that  we  should  find  fresh  water. 
It  was  a  question,  however,  whether  or  not  it  was  inhabited, 
and,  if  so,  whether  the  natives  would  prove  friendly  or 
hostile.  The  mate  told  the  doctor  that  he  believed  it  wa-j 
one  of  the  most  north-western  of  the  Caroline  group,  the 
natives  of  which  are  generally  more  friendly  to  strangers 
than  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands  farther  south  ;  still,  they 
are  perfect  savages,  and  it  would  be  dangerous  to  trust  them. 
We  could,  however,  see  no  smoke  or  other  signs  of  the 
country  being  inhabited. 

We  had  not  gone  far,  when  Brown  sang  out,  "  Starboard  ! 
hard  a-starboard  !  A  reef  ahead  !  " 

On  this  the  mate,  luffing  up,  ordered  us  to  lower  the  sail. 
It  was  done  in  an  instant,  and  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for 
we  saw  close  abeam  a  coral  reef  not  two  feet  under  the 
surface. 

"We  may  be  thankful  that  we  didn't  stand  on  during  the 
night,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths  to  the  doctor. 


More  Startling  Adventures.  287 

We  now  got  out  the  oars  and  pulled  cautiously  on.  We 
soon  found  ourselves  in  a  channel,  with  coral  reefs  on  either 
side,  all  of  them  just  below  the  surface ;  and  as  the  passage 
twisted  and  turned  in  all  directions,  it  required  the  greatest 
possible  caution  to  thread  our  way  through  it. 

We  might  well  be  thankful  not  only  that  we  did  not 
stand  on  during  the  night,  but  that  we  had  not  driven  farther 
south  during  the  gale  while  we  rode  to  the  raft.  Nothing 
could  have  preserved  the  boat  from  being  dashed  to  pieces. 
At  length  we  got  clear  of  the  encircling  reef,  and  found  our- 
selves in  a  broad  expanse  of  perfectly  smooth  water.  The 
rocks  rising  directly  out  of  it  formed  the  shore.  We  had 
to  pull  along  them  some  distance  to  find  a  convenient 
landing-place.  At  last  a  beautiful  bay  opened  out,  with  a 
sandy  beach,  the  ground  rising  gradually  from  it,  covered 
with  cocoanut-trees. 

On  seeing  it,  led  by  Brown,  we  uttered  a  cheer,  and 
giving  way  with  a  will  ran  the  boat's  keel  on  the  beach.  He 
jumped  out  first,  and  we  all  followed,  without  thinking  of 
savages,  and  only  very  grateful  to  find  ourselves  once  more 
on  firm  ground.  Led  by  the  mate  and  the  doctor,  we  fell 
on  our  knees,  and  I  believe  with  grateful  hearts  returned 
thanks  to  God  for  our  safety. 

We  were  hurrying  up  to  the  trees  with  our  eyes  fixed  on 
the  cocoanuts  which  hung  temptingly  from  them,  when  the 
mate  called  to  us  to  be  cautious,  for  though  we  had  seen  no 
natives,  there  might  be  some  in  the  neighbourhood,  who 
might  come  suddenly  down  and  attack  us  while  we  were 
engaged  in  obtaining  the  cocoanuts. 

He  and  the  doctor  then  proceeded  with  their  muskets  in 
their  hands  a  little  way  in  advance,  while  under  Brown's 
directions  we  prepared  to  get  down  the  nuts.  Miles  Soper, 
Sam  Coal,  and  Jim  were  the  best  climbers,  but  without 
assistance,  weak  as  we  all  were,  they  found  that  they  could 


238  Peter  Trawl. 

not  swarm  up  the  trees.  We  therefore  got  some  ropes  from 
the  boat,  and  Soper  soon  twisted  one  of  them  into  a  grum- 
met, or  hoop,  round  the  tree,  with  sufficient  space  for  his 
body  inside  it;  then  shoving  the  opposite  side  of  the 
^ruiiirnet  above  him,  and  holding  on  with  his  knees,  he 
worked  his  way  up  the  smooth  trunk.  Coal  did  the  same 
on  ar.  other  tree,  but  Jim,  after  making  the  attempt,  had  10 
give  up. 

"  I  never  tried  that  sort  of  thing  before,  and  can't  manage 
it,"  he  said,  coming  down  and  ready  to  cry  for  weakness. 

"  Look  out  there  !  "  shouted  Sam  Coal,  who  was  the  first 
to  reach  the  top  of  his  tree ;  and  he  threw  down  a  cocoanut, 
and  then  another,  and  another,  but  they  all  broke  as  they 
touched  the  ground. 

"  I  say,  that'll  never  do  ! "  cried  Brown,  as  he  picked  up 
one  of  them,  while  Horner  and  I  got  hold  of  the  other  two. 
"  You  must  hang  them  round  your  neck  somehow.  We 
want  the  juice,  which  is  the  best  part." 

Coal,  on  this,  fastened  three  or  four  together  in  a  hand- 
kerchief; Soper  had  in  the  meantime  done  the  same,  and 
they  descended  with  four  cocoanuts  apiece.  Hprner  and  I 
had  run  with  those  we  had  picked  up  to  Mr.  Griffiths  and 
the  doctor,  munching  a  portion  as  we  went,  while  Brown 
divided  his  among  the  other  men,  who  were  as  eager  to  eat 
them  as  we  were.  So  we  found  were  the  mate  and  the 
doctor.  They  tasted  delicious  to  us,  so  long  accustomed 
to  salt  or  raw  fish ;  but  still  more  refreshing  was  the  milk, 
which  we  got  on  tearing  off  the  outer  rind  by  cutting  holes 
in  the  eyes  with  our  knives.  The  cocoanuts,  indeed,  served 
us  as  meat  and  drink. 

All  this  time  the  doctor  and  mate  had  seen  no  signs  of 
inhabitants,  and  as  we  were  all  far  too  weak  to  think  of 
exploring  the  country,  we  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  the 
cocoanut-trees  to  rest.  We  talked  a  little  to  each  other  for 


More  Startling  Adventures.  289 

a  short  time,  and  first  one  dropped  off  to  sleep,  then  another. 
Mr.  Griffiths  himself  didn't  long  keep  his  eyes  open,  though 
I  fancy  I  heard  him  tell  Brown  that  we  must  set  a  watch, 
lest  any  natives  should  come  suddenly  down  upon  us.  The 
mate  and  the  doctor  had  both  been  awake  during  the  whole 
of  the  last  night  in  the  boat — no  wonder  that  they  went  to 
sleep. 

At  last  I  opened  my  eyes,  and  sitting  up,  looked  about 
me,  trying  to  recollect  where  I  was,  and  what  had  happened. 
This  I  soon  did.  My  companions  lay  scattered  around  me 
on  the  ground.  In  front  was  the  sea,  and  the  two  sides  of 
the  bay  were  formed  by  moderately  high  cliffs.  Behind  us 
was  a  grove  of  cocoanut-trees,  extending  along  the  shore  to 
the  cliffs,  and  beyond  them  I  could  see  a  hill,  which  formed 
the  farther  em  1  of  the  valley,  opening  out  on  the  bay.  Every 
one  was  asleep,  and  I  was  thankful  that  while  in  that  con- 
dition we  had  not  been  discovered  by  savages,  who  might 
have  been  tempted  to  massacre  the  whole  of  us.  I  was 
glad  that  I  at  all  events  was  now  awake.  I  didn't,  however, 
like  to  arouse  my  companions,  so  I  got  up  noiselessly,  and 
to  stretch  my  legs  walked  through  the  palm  grove.  On  my 
way  I  found  a  cocoanut  fallen  to  the  ground,  and  as  I  felt 
hungry,  having  taken  off  the  rind,  I  sucked  the  milk,  and 
then  breaking  the  shell,  ate  as  much  of  the  fruit  as  I  felt 
inclined  to  take.  This  restored  my  strength,  and  I  went  on 
till  I  got  beyond  the  trees,  which  extended  to  no  great 
distance  up  the  valley.  Farther  on  the  ground  was  tolerably 
open,  with  here  and  there  a  few  trees  and  bushes  growing 
by  the  side  of  a  stream  which  ran  through  the  valley,  and 
formed  a  small  lake,  without  any  cutlet  that  I  could  dis- 
cover. 

A  number  of  birds,  some  of  which  I  took  to  be  pigeons, 
were  flying  about,  but  I  saw  no  four-legged  creatures  of  anv 
sort.  The  birJs  were  so  tame  that  they  came  flying  about 

19 


2  go  Peter  Trawl. 

me,  and  perched  on  the  boughs  without  showing  any  signs 
of  fear. 

"  This  is  a  beautiful  spot,"  I  thought  to  myself.  "  How 
thankful  I  am  that  we  reached  it !  We  shall  have  plenty  of 
food,  and  if  there  are  no  natives  we  can  remain  as  long  as 
we  like  till  we  are  all  strong  again,  and  Mr.  Griffiths  deter- 
mines to  pursue  the  voyage." 

I  was  stopping,  looking  about,  when  I  saw  something 
move  on  the  top  of  the  bill  at  the  farther  end  of  the  valley. 
The  object  stopped,  and  then  I  made  out  distinctly  against 
the  sky  the  figure  of  a  man.  He  was  too  far  off  to  enable 
me  to  make  out  how  he  was  dressed,  or  whether  he  was  a 
native  or  a  white  man.  He  stopped  for  some  time,  as  if 
he  was  looking  down  into  the  valley,  and  I  fancied  that  he 
might  have  seen  me,  for  I  was  in  an  open  spot,  away  from 
any  trees  or  shrubs.  At  last  I  beckoned  to  him,  to  show  that 
my  companions  and  I  wished  to  be  friends  with  the  natives. 

He  took  no  notice  of  my  signals,  but  stood  looking  down 
into  the  valley  as  before. 

At  first  I  thought  of  going  towards  him,  but  then  it  struck 
me  that  others  might  appear,  and  that  I  might  be  taken 
prisoner,  or  perhaps  killed,  and  that  I  ought  to  go  back  and 
tell  Mr.  Griffiths  what  I  had  seen.  I  found  him  and  the 
doctor  awake. 

"  I'm  sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  the  former.  "  I  had  hoped 
that  there  were  no  natives  on  the  island.  If  the  person  you 
saw  had  been  a  white  man  he  would  have  come  down  to  us 
immediately.  I  suspect  that  he  must  be  a  native.  We 
must  look  out  for  a  visit  from  others,  and  keep  a  more 
careful  watch  than  heretofore," 

He  and  the  doctor  agreed  to  return  with  me,  and  if  the 
person  was  still  where  I  had  seen  him,  to  try  and  open  up 
a  friendly  communication  with  him  and  any  others  who 
might  appear. 


More  Startling  Adventures.  291 

Rousing  up  Brown  and  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  telling 
them  where  we  were  going,  we  set  off.  On  our  getting  to 
the  spot  where  I  had  been  when  I  saw  the  man,  he  had 
disappeared.  We,  however,  went  on  past  a  little  lake,  and 
along  the  bank  of  a  stream,  looking  out  very  carefully  on 
either  side  lest  the  natives  might  come  down  from  the  cliffs 
and  cut  us  off.  No  one  appeared ;  and  as  it  was  getting 
late,  Mr.  Griffiths  thought  it  wise  to  return. 

It  was  almost  dark  by  the  time  we  reached  the  palm 
grove.  We  found  that  Soper  and  Coal  had  in  the  meantime 
collected  some  more  cocoanuts  ;  and  that  Brown,  with  the 
rest  of  the  men,  had  obtained  some  large  clams  and  other 
shell-fish  from  the  rocks.  They  were  now  lighting  a  fire  to 
cook  them,  while  Jim  had  brought  a  kettle  of  water  from 
the  lake.  We  had  thus  materials  for  a  hearty  meal,  of  which 
we  all  partook  with  good  appetites.  We  had  been  unable 
to  do  anything  to  the  boat  during  the  day,  but  Mr.  Griffiths 
remarked  that  our  first  care  must  be  to  put  her  to  rights, 
that  we  might  go  out  fishing  in  her,  and  afterwards  make  a 
voyage  to  some  place  where  we  might  find  a  vessel  to  take 
us  home.  The  mate  said  that  we  might  either  sail  north- 
ward again  to  Guam,  or  westward  to  the  Pellew  Islands,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  were  said  to  be  friendly,  and  thence 
on  to  the  Pnilippines.  Various  opinions  were  expressed, 
but  nothing  was  decided. 

We  had  now  to  prepare  for  the  night.  Notwithstanding 
the  sleep  we  had  had  during  the  day,  we  all  felt  that  a 
longer  rest  was  necessary  to  restore  our  strength.  Mr. 
Griffiths,  however,  insisted  that  a  watch  should  be  kept,  as 
now  that  we  had  discovered  the  island  to  be  inhabited,  it 
would  be  folly  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  caught  unawares  at 
night  Though  the  weather  was  warm,  as  we  had  had  no 
time  to  put  up  a  shelter  of  any  sort,  the  fire  was  found 
pleasant ;  we  therefore  agreed  not  to  let  it  go  out  during  the 


292  Peter  Trawl. 

night.  It  was  settled  that  the  doctor  should  keep  the  first 
watch,  Mr.  Griffiths  the  middle  and  I  was  to  have  the  third 
with  Jim.  Brown  kept  it  with  the  doctor,  and  Soper  with 
the  mate.  Our  arrangements  being  made,  we  lay  down  to 
pass  the  night. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  I  had  been  asleep  only  a  few 
minutes,  when  Mr.  Griffiths  called  me  up,  and  Jim  and  I, 
taking  the  muskets,  began  our  watch.  Th'e  mate  told  me 
that  the  doctor's  and  his  watches  had  passed  quietly  away, 
and  they  had  not  heard  any  sounds  to  indicate  that  any 
natives  were  near.  As  we  were  not  obliged  to  keep  close 
to  the  fire,  and  as  there  was  a  bright  moon  in  the  sky  to 
enable  us  to  see  our  way,  I  proposed  to  Jim  that  we  should 
go  through  the  grove,  where,  should  any  natives  approach 
in  the  morning,  we  should  discover  them  sooner  on  that 
side  than  we  should  by  remaining  at  the  camp.  He  agreed, 
and  without  difficulty  we  made  our  way  through  the  trees, 
which  stood  apart,  with  little  or  no  undergrowth.  The 
scene  which  presented  itself  to  us  as  we  got  out  of  the  grove 
was  very  beautiful.  The  silver  moon  and  the  surrounding 
trees  were  reflected  in  the  calm  waters  of  the  lake,  while 
the  outline  of  the  hills  on  either  side  appeared  sharp  and 
distinct  against  the  sky.  Finding  a  clear  piece  of  ground 
not  far  from  the  shore  of  the  lake,  Jim  and  I  walked  up 
and  down,  keeping  a  look-out  now  to  one  side,  now  to  the 
other,  as  also  up  the  valley. 

We  had  taken  several  turns,  when  Jim  exclaimed,  "  Hillo ! 
Look  there  ! " 

Gazing  up  in  the  direction  to  which  he  pointed,  I  saw 
distinctly  against  the  sky  the  figure  of  a  man.  How  he  was 
dressed  it  was  impossible  to  say ;  still,  he  had  on  clothes  of 
some  sort 

"  He's  not  a  native  savage,  at  all  events,"  said  Jim. 
'  We'll  hail  him,  and  if  he's  an  Englishman  he'll  answer." 


More  Startling  Adventures.  293 

We  shouted  at  the  top  of  our  voices,  but  no  reply  came 
and  the  figure  disappeared. 

"  That's  strange,"  said  Jim ,  "I  thought  he  would  have 
come  down  and  had  a  talk  with  us,  whoever  he  is.-  Can't 
we  try  and  find  him  ?  " 

"  We  mustn't  both  leave  our  post,"  I  answered  ;  "  but  if 
you  stop  here  I'll  try  and  get  up  to  where  he  was  stand- 
ing, and  unless  he  has  run  away  he  can't  be  far  off." 

Jim  didn't  like  my  going,  but  I  persuaded  him  to  stop, 
and  hurried  across  the  valley.  When  I  got  to  the  foot  of 
the  cliff  I  could  find  no  way  up  it,  and,  after  searching 
about,  had  to  abandon  the  attempt. 

I  returned  tc  where  I  had  left  Jim,  and  we  resumed  our 
walk,  thinking  that  perhaps  the  figure  would  again  appear. 

"  Perhaps  if  he  sees  us  he  won't  show  himself,"  said  Jim. 
"  Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  go  and  stay  under  t.e  trees  ?  and 
then  perhaps  he'll  come  back." 

We  did  as  Jim  proposed,  keeping  our  eyes  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  cltrf,  but  we  looked  in  vain  for  the  reappearance 
of  the  s1  ranger. 

"  He  guesses  that  we  are  watching  for  him,"  said  Jim. 
'  Perhaps  if  we  were  to  shout  again  he  would  come  back. 
If  he's  a  white  man  he'll  understand  us,  and  know  that  we 
are  friends  " 

"  There  can  be  no  harm  in  shouting,"  I  answered,  "  though 
he  may  be  a  native  and  there  may  be  others  with  him  ; 
they  would  have  come  down  before  this  and  attacked  us, 
had  they  had  a  mind  to  do  so." 

We  accordingly  went  from  under  the  trees,  and  standing 
in  the  open  ground,  I  shouted  out, 

"  Hillo,  stranger,  we're  friends,  and  want  to  have  a  talk 
with  you  We  have  just  come  here  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
intend  to  be  off  again  on  our  voyage." 

Jim  then  said  much  the  same  sort  of  thing,  and  as  his 


294  Peter  Trawl. 

voice  was  even  louder  than  mine,  we  made  sure  that  the 
stranger  must  have  heard  us.  He  didn't,  however,  show 
himself,  though  we  sometimes  shouted  together,  sometimes 
singly.  At  last  we  heard  voices  in  the  cocoanut  grove. 

"  I  hope  that  no  enemies  have  got  down  between  us  and 
the  sea,"  I  said.  "  We  had  no  business  to  come  so  far  away 
from  the  camp." 

We  stood  with  our  muskets  ready,  watching  the  wood. 
In  a  short  time  our  anxiety  was  relieved  by  the  appearance 
of  the  doctor  and  Mr.  Griffiths. 

"  Why,  lads,  what  made  you  shout  out  in  that  fashion  ?  " 
asked  the  mate.  "  We  fancied  you  wanted  help." 

We  told  him  of  the  man  we  had  seen  on  the  cliffs. 

"  It's  very  extraordinary,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  I  don't 
think  he  can  be  a  native,  or  he  would  not  have  shown 
himself  in  that  way.  He  must  be  some  white  man  who  has 
been  left  by  himself  on  the  island,  and  has  lost  his  wits,  as 
often  happens  under  such  circumstances.  He's  been  accus- 
tomed to  see  savages  visit  the  island,  and  has  kept  out  of 
their  way  to  save  himself  from  being  killed  or  made  a  slave 
of.  He  had  not  the  sense  to  distinguish  between  us  and 
them." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths,  "We  must 
take  means  to  get  hold  of  him,  both  for  his  own  sake  and 
o  irs.  He'll  soon  come  round,  supposing  he's  an  English- 
man, when  he  finds  himself  among  countrymen,  and  he'll 
be  able  to  show  us  where  to  get  provisions  if  the  island 
produces  any.  He  can't  have  lived  always  on  cocoanuts 
and  shell-fish." 

By  this  time  the  dawn  began  to  appear,  and  after  waiting 
a  little  longer  we  all  returned  to  camp,  and  roused  up  the 
•men  to  prepare  for  breakfast  Miles  Soper  and  Sam  Coal 
again  climbed  the  trees  to  get  some  cocoanuts.  Some  of 
the  men  went  down  to  the  shore  to  collect  shell-fish. 


More  Startling  Adventures. 


295 


Others  made  up  the  fire,  while  the  mate  and  the  doctor 
examined  the  boat  to  ascertain  the  damage  she  had  received, 
and  to  see  how  she  could  best  be  repaired. 

'•  We  have  a  few  nails,  and  we  must  try  to  find  some 
substance  which  will  answer  the  purpose  of  pitch,"  observed 
the  mate.  "  Doctor,  I  dare  say  you'll  help  us.  We  will 
strengthen  her  with  additional  planks,  ami  get  a  strake  put 
on  above  her  gunwale.  It  will  be  a  work  of  toil  to  cut  the 
planks,  but  it  must  be  done,  and  she  will  then  be  fit  to  go 
anywhere." 

At  breakfast  the  mate  told  the  men  of  his  intentions. 
They  all  agreed  to  do  their  best  to  carry  them  out 

We  had  first,  however,  to  search  for  provisions.  Not 
knowing  whether  there  might  be  savages  on  the  island, 
even  supposing  that  the  man  we  had  seen  was  not  one,  the 
mate  did  not  like  to  leave  the  bo.it  unprotected.  He  there- 
fore ordered  Brown  and  one  of  the  men  to  remain  by  her 
while  the  rest  of  us  proceeded  together  to  explore  the 
island. 

The  mate  would  not  allow  us  to  separate  until  we  had 
ascertained  whether  or  not  there  were  inhabitants  besides 
the  man  we  had  seen  on  the  island. 

One  musket  was  left  with  Brown,  the  mate  carried  the 
other,  and  we  set  off,  keeping  up  the  stream  I  have  before 
described  towards  the  end  of  the  valley.  We  looked  out 
on  either  side  for  the  stranger,  but  he  didn't  appear.  Some 
of  the  men  declared  that  we  had  not  really  seen  any  one, 
and  that  we  had  mistaken  a  small  tree  or  shrub  for  a  man ; 
but  Jim  and  I  were  positive,  and  the  doctor,  at  all  events, 
believed  us. 

On  reaching  the  top  of  the  hill,  we  looked  down  into  a 
large  hollow,  with  water  at  the  bottom,  dark  rocks  forming 
its  sides,  grown  over  with  creepers,  huge  ferns,  and  various 
other  plants.  The  doctor  said  tnat  it  was  the  crater  of  a 


296  Peter  Trawl. 

long  extinct  volcano,  and  that  the  whole  island  was  volcanic. 
There  were  many  other  hills  out  of  which  smoke  was  rising. 
The  doctor  said  that  this  was  an  active  volcano ;  indeed, 
the  country  in  that  direction  presented  a  very  diff  rent 
aspect  from  the  part  where  we  had  landed.  It  was  bla«  k 
and  barren,  with  only  here  and  there  a  few  green  spots. 
We  therefore  turned  to  the  east,  the  direction  which 
promised  us  a  better  chance  of  finding  roots  or  fruits,  or 
vegetable  productions  of  some  sort. 

The  strange  thing  was,  that  though  the  island  appeared 
fertile,  not  a  single  habitation  or  hut  could  we  discover. 
The  doctor  supposed  that  this  was  on  account  of  the 
occasional  outbreak  of  the  volcano,  and  that  the  people 
from  the  neighbouring  islands  were  afraid  to  take  up  ihtir 
residence  on  it. 

We  now  descended  the  hill,  and  went  along  another 
valley,  of  course  looking  out  all  the  time  for  the  stranger. 

We  were  passing  a  small  grove  near  a  hollow  in  the  side 
of  a  hill,  which  was  partly  concealed  by  trees,  when  we 
heard  a  cock  crow  just  as  an  English  cock  would  do.  At 
once  that  sound  made  my  thoughts,  as  it  did  those  of  the 
others,  probably,  rush  back  to  our  far-distant  homes. 

*'  If  there's  a  cock,  there  must  be  hens  and  a  hen-roost 
hereabouts,"  observed  Miles  Soper,  hurrying  in  the  direction 
whence  the  sounds  proceeded. 

We  followed  ,  there,  sure  enough,  sheltered  by  the  hill, 
and  under  the  shade  of  the  trees,  was  not  only  a  hen  house 
of  good  size,  but  a  hut  scarcely  bigger  than  it  was  neatly 
built  and  thatched  with  palm  leaves. 

"  It  must  be  the  residence  of  the  stranger.  He  himself 
can't  be  far  off/'  said  the  doctor. 

The  hut  was  just  large  enough  to  hold  cnc  man.  It  had 
a  door  formed  of  xhin  poles  lashed  together  with  sinnit. 
At  the  farther  end  was  i  bedstead  covered  with  rough 


More  Startling  Adventures.  297 

matting,  and  in  the  centre  a  small  table,  with  a  three-legged 
stool. 

No  one  had  any  longer  any  doubt  that  we  had  seen  a 
man,  or  that  this  must  be  his  abode,  and  that  he  must  be  a 
white  man,  but  whether  English  or  not  was  doubtful.  Miles 
Soper  examined  the  matting,  and  as  he  was  looking  about 
he  found  a  knife  on  a  shelf  close  to  the  bed.  Taking  it  up, 
he  examined  it  with  a  curious  eye,  opening  and  shutting  it, 
and  turning  it  round  and  round. 

"Well,  that's  queer,  but  I  think  I've  seen  this  knife 
before,"  he  said.  "  If  the  owner  is  the  man  I  guess  he  is 
I  am  glad." 

"  Who  do  you  Suppose  he  is  ?  "  I  inquired,  eagerly. 

"Well,  Peter,  that's  what  I  don't  want  to  say  just  yet.  I 
must  make  sure  first,"  he  answered. 

"  Can  he  be  my  brother  Jack  ?  "  I  exclaimed,  my  breath 
coming  and  going  fast  in  my  anxiety. 

"  Well  then,  Peter,  I'll  tell  you.  Jack  knew  how  to  make 
matting  just  like  this,  because  he  learnt  the  way  on  board 
the  Harriet,  and  so  did  I.  He  had  a  knife  which,  if  this 
isn't  it,  is  the  fellow  to  it,  so  you  see  that  I  have  some 
reason  to  think  hat  the  man  who  built  this  hut,  and  lives 
in  it,  is  he.  But  then  again,  you  know,  I  may  be  mistaken. 

"  Why,  if  he  is  Jack,  he  should  run  away  from  us  puzzles 
me.  If  he  couldn't  see  our  faces  he  must  have  known  by 
our  dress  that  we  were  English  or  American,  and  that  there 
was  no  reason  for  him  to  hide  himself.  There  are  many 
men  who  know  how  to  make  this  sort  of  matting,  and  there 
are  many  knives  just  like  this,  and  that's  the  reason  why  I 
can't  tell  you  whether  he's  Jack  or  not.  But  if  Mr.  i  .r.ffiths 
will  let  me  I'll  go  on  alone  and  look  for  him,  and  when  he 
sees  who  I  am  he'll  come  fast  enough  to  me,  and  you  may 
depend  on  it,  Peter,  if  it's  he  I'll  bring  him  back  with  a 
lighter  heart  than  I've  had  for  many  a  day." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
THE  LOST  ONE  FOUND  AT  LAST. 

I  WANTED  to  accompany  Soper  in  his  search  for  the 
stranger. 

"  No,  no,  Peter,"  he  answered ;  "  if  he  is  Jack  he'll 
know  me ;  but  he  won't  know  you  ;  and  if  he's  grown  queer 
by  living  all  alone  on  an  island,  as  has  happened  to  some 
poor  fellows,  he'll  get  out  of  our  way  if  he  sees  two  together." 

The  doctor  assented  to  the  wisdom  of  this,  and  advised 
me  to  be  contented  and  remain  by  while  Soper  set  off  him- 
self. The  rest  of  the  party  were  meanwhile  examining  the 
hen-roost 

The  fowls  were  mostly  of  the  English  breed,  which  made 
us  suppose  that  they  had  been  landed  from  some  English 
vessel.  We  were  confirmed  in  this  belief  by  discovering  an 
old  hen-coop,  in  which  they  had  probably  been  washed 
ashore.  There  were  other  pieces  of  wreckage  scattered 
about,  but  the  hut  itself  was  composed  entirely  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  island. 

At  last  the  doctor  proposed  that  we  should  proceed 
onwards,  as  the  stranger,  whoever  he  was,  would  not  be 
likely  to  come  back  if  he  saw  us  near  his  hut.  I,  however, 
believed  that  it  must  be  Jack,  and,  notwithstanding  the 
doubts  that  Soper  had  expressed,  begged  that  I  might  be 
allowed  to  remain  behind  that  I  might  the  sooner  meet  him. 
Mr.  Griffiths  gave  me  leave  to  stay  if  I  wished  it.  I  thought 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.  299 

that  Soper  was  more  likely  to  bring  him  back  to  the  hut 
tiian  to  follow  the  rest  of  the  party. 

As  soon  as  they  had  gone  I  closed  the  door  and  sat 
down  on  the  three-legged  stool.  I  should  have  been  glad 
if  I  had  had  a  book  to  read  to  employ  my  thoughts,  but 
the  hut  contained  only  some  cocoanuts  cut  in  two  for  hold- 
ing water,  some  long  skewers,  which  had  apparently  been  ' 
used  for  roasting  birds,  a  small  nut  fixed  in  a  stand  to  serve 
as  an  egg  cup,  and  a  little  wooden  spoon.  There  were  also 
shells,  some  clams,  and  others  of  different  shapes.  Two  or 
three  of  these  would  serve  as  cups  and  plates.  I  could 
judge  from  this  what  had  been  the  food  of  the  solitary 
inhabitant  of  the  hut.  This  didn't  look  as  if  he  were  out  of 
his  mind. 

The  time  appeared  to  go  by  very  slowly.  I  remembered 
my  disappointment  at  South's  Island  when  I  heard  the 
mysterious  knocks  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  I  began 
to  fear  that  after  all  the  stranger  might  not  prove  to  be 
Jack. 

I  was  now  sorry  that  I  had  not  accompanied  the  rest  of 
the  party — at  all  events  the  time  would  not  have  appeared 
so  long  if  I  had  been  walking  and  looking  out  for  Jack. 
At  length  I  determined  to  get  up  and  to  go  out  and  try  and 
find  my  companions — perhaps  Soper  and  the  stranger  were 
all  this  time  with  them,  though  I  knew  they  would  come  i 
back  and  look  for  me.  I  rose  and  went  to  the  window, 
which  had  a  view  right  down  the  valley,  probably  that  the 
inmate  might  watch  anybody  coming  in  that  direction. 

I  couldn't  see  any  object  moving,  and  I  turned  towards 
the  door,  intending  to  go  out,  when  the  sound  of  voices 
reached  my  ears.  I  listened.  One  of  the  speakers  was 
Miles  Soper,  the  other  spoke  so  indistinctly  that  I  could 
not  make  out  what  he  said. 

I  opened  the  door  and  saw  two  persons  coming  through 


3OO  Peter  Trawl. 

the  grove.  One  was,  as  I  expected,  Soper;  the  other  a 
strange-looking  being  with  long  hair,  his  skin  tanned  of  a 
deep  brown,  his  dress  composed  of  an  old  jacket  and 
trousers,  patched  or  rather  covered  ovtr  with  leaves,  while 
his  feet  and  head  were  destitute  of  covering. 

I  stood  gazing  at  him  for  a  few  seconds,  unable  to  trace 
in  his  countenance  any  of  the  features  of  my  brother  Jack, 
which  I  fancied  I  recollected. 

"  What,  don't  you  know  one  another  ?  "  exclaimed  Soper. 
"  This  is  Jack  Trawl  and  no  o  her — the  only  Jack  Trawl  I 
ever  knew.  Come,  Jack,  rouse  up.  that's  your  brother 
Peter  TrawL  Give  him  your  fist,  man.  He's  been  talking 
about  you,  and  looking  for  you  everywhere  we've  been." 

The  stranger  stopped  and  g.ized  eagerly  in  my  face. 

"  What,  are  you  my  Iktle  brother  Peter?  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  How  are  Mary,  and  father,  and  mother,  and  Nancy  ?  " 

I  knew  from  this  that  he  was  Jack,  and  springing  for- 
ward, took  both  his  hands,  and  looked  earnestly  in  his  face. 

"  Yes,  I  am  Peter,  and  I  know  you  are  Jack.  Mary  was 
well  when  I  left  home  long  ago,  though  you  wouldn't  know 
her  now,  and  Nancy  is  with  her." 

I  didn't  like  at  first  to  tell  Jack  that  father  and  mother 
were  dead,  but  it  had  to  come  out  at  last,  and  it  seemed  for 
a  time  to  do  away  with  the  happiness  he  and  I  felt  at  meet- 
ing ;  for  he  was  happy,  though  he  looked  so  strange  and 
talked  so  curiously.  He  couldn!t  get  out  his  words  at  first, 
but  we  sat  down,  he  on  the  bed,  I  on  the  stool,  and  Miles 
Soper  on  the  table,  Miles  drawing  him  out  better  than  I 
could,  and  he  telling  us  how  he  had  come  upon  the  island. 

He  had  been  on  board  the  Harriet,  as  I  had  believed, 
from  what  King  George  had  told  me,  and  had  escaped  from 
her  with  Captain  Barber  in  the  boat.  They  had  had  a  long 
voyage,  and  suffered  dreadfully,  missing  Guam,  for  which 
they  had  steered,  just  as  we  had  done,  and  been  driven 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.  30 1 

south.  The  other  men  died,  one  and  then  another,  till  at 
last  only  Captain  Barber  and  he  had  been  left. 

The  captain  was  in  a  dying  state  when  the  boat  was 
driven  on  the  reef,  and  Jack  could  not  tell  how  he  had 
managed  to  reach  the  shore.  He  found  himself  at  last  in 
the  very  bay  where  we  had  landed.  He  had  just  strength 
enough  to  crawl  up  to  the  palm-grove,  where  he  found  some 
cocoanuts  on  the  ground,  and  managing  to  eat  one  of  them, 
he  regained  his  strength. 

He  looked  about  for  the  old  captain,  but  could  nowhere 
find  him,  and  supposed  that  he  was  drowned  when  the  boat 
went  to  pieces.  He  didn't  want  to  die,  he  said,  so  he  got 
some  shell-fish  and  cocoanuts,  and  now  and  then  caught 
some  birds,  which  were  very  tame.  He  had  learnt  how  to 
get  a  light  from  King  George's  people  on  "  Strong's '» 
Island,  and  after  a  few  days  he  managed  to  make  a  fire  and 
cooked  the  shell-fish.  He  found  some  roots,  but  was  afraid 
to  eat  them  for  fear  they  might  be  poisonous. 

It  was  very  melancholy  work  living  thus  alone,  and  some- 
times for  days  together  he  scarcely  knew  what  he  was 
about.  At  last,  however,  came  a  furious  storm,  and  as  he 
went  down  to  the  beach  he  saw  a  ship  driving  towards  the 
island.  He  knew  that  there  were  reefs  all  around  it,  so  he 
feared  that  she  would  be  knocked  to  pieces  and  bring  no 
help  to  him. 

His  fears  proved  true  ;  the  ship  struck  at  a  distance  from 
where  he  was.  He  made  his  way  down  to  the  nearest 
point  to  where  she  was,  hoping  that  some  of  the  crew  might 
reach  the  shore  alive,  but  the  only  thing  of  any  size  which 
had  come  ashore  was  a  hen-coop  and  some  fowls  lashed  to 
some  gratings  and  some  spars.  His  idea  was  that  the 
people  had  been  trying  to  make  a  raft,  but  that  the  ship 
had  gone  to  pieces  before  they  could  finish  it,  and  the  raft 
had  been  driven  on  shore  by  itself.  He  secured  the  hen- 


302  Peter  Trawl. 

coop  and  fowls,  most  of  which  were  alive,  and  carried  them 
up  to  where  he  had  built  a  hut  for  himself.  Shortly  after- 
wards, seeing  three  canoes  full  of  wild-looking  natives  coming 
near  the  shore,  he  collected  all  his  fowls  and  carried  them 
away  right  up  to  the  spot  where  he  had  built  his  present 
hut.  He  there  lay  concealed,  as  he  was  afraid  of  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  natives  after  the  way  in  which  he  had 
seen  his  shipmates  murdered  at  "  Strong's  "  Island,  as  he 
thought  the  savages  would  treat  him  in  the  same  way.  This 
idea  seemed  to  have  upset  his  mind.  He  was  nearly 
starved,  for  he  would  not  kill  any  of  his  fowls  because 
they  were  the  only  living  beings  that  seemed  to  care 
for  him. 

At  last  he  ventured  out  from  his  hiding-place,  and, 
creeping  cautiously  on,  saw  the  savages  sailing  away  in 
their  canoes.  They  had  nearly  stripped  the  trees  of  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  found  his  hut  and  pulled  it  to  pieces.  Why  they 
had  gone  so  suddenly  he  could  not  tell,  but  on  looking 
towards  the  burning  mountain  it  was  spurting  out  fire  and 
smoke,  and  he  concluded  that  they  had  gone  away  from 
being  frightened  at  it.  His  mind  was  now  more  at  rest. 
He  employed  himself  in  building  his  hut  and  the  hen-roosts, 
where  his  fowls  might  be  safe  from  hawks  or  such-like  birds, 
or  any  animals  which  might  be  in  the  island.  He  had  seen 
wild  cats  at  some  of  those  he  had  touched  at,  and  knew  that 
if  they  found  out  his  fowl  they  would  soon  put  an  end  to 
them.  He  had  plenty  to  do  to  find  food  for  his  poultry.  He 
got  shell-fish  and  berries,  roots  and  cocoanuts,  and  watched 
what  they  seemed  to  like  best.  They  soon  became  so 
tame  that  they  would  come  and  sit  on  his  shoulders  and 
knees  and  run  about  between  his  feet.  What  seemed  to 
have  upset  him  was  another  visit  from  the  savages  some 
months  afterwards,  when  he  was  nearly  caught.  Though 
they  pursued  him  they  didn't  discover  his  hen-roost  or  hut, 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.  303 

but  after  that  he  was  always  fancying  they  would  come  and 
kill  him.  When  he  saw  our  boat  he  thought  we  must  be  some 
savages,  and  yet  he  said  he  couldn't  help  coming  down  to 
have  a  look  at  us,  though  it  was  so  long  since  he  had 
heard  a  word  of  English  spoken  he  didn't  unaerstand 
what  was  said.  Fortunately,  Miles  Soper  had  passed  close 
to  the  place  where  he  was  hiding.  At  length,  when  he 
heard  his  own  name  shouted  in  a  voice  which  he  recollected, 
he  came  out,  and  at  once  knew  his  old  messmate.  He 
could  not  at  first  understand  that  I  had  grown  into  a  big 
fellow,  and  had  come  to  look  for  him,  though  he  told  Miles 
Soper  that  he  should  know  me  at  once  if  I  were  like  what  I 
had  been  when  he  went  to  sea.  When  Miles  told  him  that 
Mr.  Griffiths  and  Dr.  Cockle  were  with  me — the  gentlemen 
father  had  put  on  board  their  ship  at  the  time  he  had  joined 
the  Lapwing — he  seemed  to  have  no  doubt  on  the  matter, 
and  by  degrees,  with  Miles  speaking  soothingly  to  him,  the 
balance  of  his  mind  seemed  gradually  to  be  restored.  He 
still  found,  however,  a  great  difficulty  in  speaking ;  he  had 
been  so  long  without  uttering  a  word  except  when  he  talked 
to  his  poultry.  He  was  almost  all  to  rights  when  Mr. 
Griffiths  and  the  doctor  and  the  other  men  came  back. 
They  seemed  very  much  pleased  at  seeing  Jack,  and  all 
shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand.  The  doctor  and  Mr. 
Griffiths  told  him  that  they  remembered  him  well  when  he 
was  a  young  lad,  first  going  to  sea,  little  thinking  that  from 
that  day  to  this  he  should  be  knocking  about  the  world  far 
away  from  home.  He  looked  very  shy  and  reserved,  and 
seemed  inclined  to  keep  close  to  Miles  Soper  and  me,  but 
in  other  respects  he  was  as  much  in  his  senses  as  any  of  us. 
The  doctor  had  found  several  roots  and  fruits,  which  he  said 
were  wholesome,  and  would  serve  us  as  food,  and  Jack 
offered  to  catch  as  many  birds  as  we  wanted,  begging  that 
we  wouldn't  touch  his  poultry.  The  doctor  promised  that 


304  Peter  Trawl. 

they  should  not  be  molested  while  we  remained  on  the 
island,  but  said  to  me, 

"You  must  persuade  your  brother  to  let  us  have  them  for 
sea-stock  when  we  go  away;  they  will  afford  us  sufficient 
provisions  to  enable  us  to  reach  the  '  Pellew '  Islands  or 
Manilla,  with  the  help  of  the  birds  and  fish  we  may  salt" 

When  Mr.  Griffiths  was  about  to  go  away,  Jack  asked 
that  Miles  Soper  and  I  might  stay  to  keep  him  company, 
promising  to  go  down  to  the  boat  the  next  morning.  To 
this  Mr.  Griffiths  agreed,  and  Soper  and  I  remained  behind 
with  Jack.  When  they  had  gone  Jack  said, 

"  I  haven't  food  for  all  the  party,  but  I  can  give  you  a 
good  supper,"  and  he  showed  us  his  store-room  at  the  back 
of  the  hut,  in  which  he  had  several  cocoanuts,  some  birds 
dried  in  the  sun,  and  a  dozen  eggs. 

He  showed  us  a  sort  of  trap  he  used  for  catching  the  birds 
without  frightening  the  rest.  He  quickly  got  a  fire  from  a 
split  log  in  the  way  I  have  before  described,  and  with  the 
help  of  some  fresh  water  and  the  milk  of  the  cocoanuts  we 
had  a  very  good  meal.  He  had  a  supply  of  mats  like  those 
on  his  bed,  and  with  these  he  rigged  us  up  a  place  for 
sleeping  in  when  it  was  time  to  lie  down. 

I  felt  happier  than  I  had  been  for  a  long  time.  My  hope 
of  finding  Brother  Jack  was  realized,  and  now  my  great 
wish  was  to  return  home  with  him  to  Mary.  I  forgot  for 
the  moment  that  we  were  on  a  remote  island,  and  that  we 
had  only  a  small  boat  to  carry  us  to  civilised  lands. 

When  we  got  up  the  next  morning  Jack  seemed  more 
refreshed  and  better  able  to  talk  than  on  the  previous  even- 
ing. As  soon  as  we  had  had  breakfast,  which  was  very 
much  like  supper,  we  set  off  to  join  the  rest  of  the  party  at 
the  bay.  We  found  them  all  busily  employed,  some  in 
caulking  the  boat,  others  in  splitting  a  tree  to  form  planks. 

We  fortunately  had  a  couple  of  axes  with  us,  which  were 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.          305 

of  great  service,  and  while  Soper  and  I  lent  a  hand  Jack 
went  down  to  collect  shell-fish,  which  he  did  much  more 
rapidly  than  we  could,  being  well  accustomed  to  it. 

The  weather  was  so  fine  that  we  required  only  a  very 
slight  hut,  which  we  formed  partly  of  the  baat's  sails  and 
partly  of  the  boughs  and  stems  of  small  trees. 

Jack  showed  us  a  way  up  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  and  here 
Mr.  Griffiths  erected  a  flagstaff  with  a  whift,  which  we  had 
in  the  boat,  increased  in  size  by  a  couple  of  handkerchiefs. 
This  was  large  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  any  vessel 
passing  near  the  island,  but  Mr.  Griffiths  said  that  he 
believed,  owing  to  the  surrounding  reefs,  none  would 
intentionally  approach. 

We  were  all  anxious  to  get  the  boat  finished  as  soon  as 
possible  and  commence  our  voyage.  We  had  many  reasons 
for  being  in  a  hurry,  though  we  might  have  lived  very  well 
on  the  island  for  months  together,  but  the  burning  mountain 
might  again  burst  forth  and  overwhelm  us,  and  the  savages 
might  return  in  large  numbers  and  either  kill  us  or  make  us 
prisoners,  for  as  we  had  only  two  muskets  and  a  scanty 
supply  of  ammunition,  we  could  scarcely  hope  to  beat  them 
off  should  they  prove  hostile.  Mr.  Griffiths  and  the  doctor 
talked  the  matter  over. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  observed  the  mate,  "  the  sooner 
we're  away  while  the  fine  weather  lasts  the  better,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  won't  do  to  start  until  we  have  fitted  the  boat 
thoroughly  for  sea.  We  have  a  long  trip  before  us,  and  if 
we're  caught  in  a  gale  we  shall  have  reason  to  regret  it  if  we 
don't  take  the  trouble  to  fit  our  boat  in  the  best  way  we 
can." 

It  took  a  long  time,  first  with  our  axes  to  split  up  the 
planks,  and  then  to  smooth  them  with  our  knives.  We  had 
next  to  shape  out  additional  timbers  to  strengthen  the  boat, 
as  to  which  also  to  fix  the  planks  to.  We  likewise  decked 

20 


306  Peter  Trawl. 

over  the  fore  and  aft  parts,  both  to  keep  out  the  sea  and 
to  prevent  our  provisions  from  getting  wet.  The  doctor 
searched  everywhere  for  some  sort  of  resin  which  might 
serve  to  caulk  our  boat. 

He  at  last  found  some  which  he  thought  might  answer, 
but  as  we  had  only  a  small  iron  pot  to  boil  it  in,  we  had  to 
go  without  our  soap  or  our  hot  water  till  the  pot  was  again 
thoroughly  cleaned  out.  It  answered  the  purpose,  however, 
better  than  we  had  expected,  and  with  mosses  and  dried 
grass  we  made  up  a  substance  which  served  instead  of 
oakum.  Jack  worked  as  hard  as  any  of  us,  and  was  very 
useful  in  catching  a  number  of  birds,  which  he  salted  and 
dried  in  the  sun. 

At  length  one  day,  when  nearly  all  our  preparations  were 
concluded,  the  mate  said,  "  And  now,  Jack  Trawl,  we  must 
get  you  to  bring  your  poultry-yard  down.  We  shall  not 
have  room  for  all  the  fowl,  in  the  boat  but  I  think  we  can 
cut  down  and  repair  the  old  hen-coop  to  hold  a  good 
many,  and  we  must  kill  and  salt  the  rest." 

"  What !  kill  my  fowl — my  old  companions  !  "  said  Jack. 
"  What !  cannot  we  let  them  live  ?  They'll  soon  find  food 
for  themselves ;  they  do  that  pretty  well  already,  and  I 
couldn't  bear  to  see  their  necks  wrung." 

"  I  wish  we  were  able  to  do  without  them,"  said  the 
mate ;  "  but  oar  lives  are  of  more  value  than  those  of  the 
fo\vL  I  can  enter  into  your  feelings,  and  we  will  not  ask 
you  to  kill  any  nor  to  eat  them  afterwards  unless  you  change 
your  mind.  Look  you  here,  Jack ;  if  the  savages  came  to 
the  island  they'd  kill  the  fowl  fast  enough,  and  perhaps  our 
lives  may  depend  on  our  having  them." 

The  doctor  then  said  something  to  the  same  effect,  and 
at  last  Jack  was  talked  over  to  allow  some  of  his  fowl  to  be 
killed  at  once,  and  dried  and  salted  like  the  other  birds. 
We  brought  the  hen-coop  down  to  the  beach,  and  by  din1: 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.  307 

of  hard  work  cut  it  away  so  as  to  hold  two  dozen  fowl 
closely  packed.  At  night,  when  the  birds  had  gone  to 
roost,  Miles,  Coal,  Jack,  and  I  went  up  and  took  the  others 
while  roosting.  What  a  cackling  and  screeching  the  poor 
creatures  made  on  finding  themselves  hauled  off  their 
perches  and  having  their  legs  tied  !  The  noise  they  made 
might  have  been  heard  over  half  the  island. 

We  brought  them  down  and  stowed  them  away  in  the 
hen-coop.  Jack,  accompanied  by  Jim,  had  before  collected 
a  good  supply  of  seeds,  which  might  serve  them  as  food 
with  the  help  of  the  cocoanuts  and  scraps  of  fish  which  we 
might  leave.  Mr.  Griffiths  and  the  doctor  had  arranged  to 
start  the  next  morning.  All  hands  had  agreed  to  do  as  they 
proposed,  which  was  to  be  up  at  daylight,  and  as  soon  as  we 
had  breakfasted  launch  the  boat  and  go  on  board. 

We  lay  down,  as  we  hoped,  for  the  last  time  in  our  hut. 
As  the  island  was  known  to  be  uninhabited  it  was  no  longer 
thought  necessary  to  keep  a  watch.  All  of  us  slept  like 
tops,  recollecting  that  we  should  not  for  many  days  get 
another  thorough  night's  rest. 

I  was  the  first  to  wake,  and,  calling  up  Jim,  he  and  I 
agreed  to  go  to  the  lake  and  fill  our  pot  with  water  to  boil 
for  breakfast,  knowing  that  the  rest  would  light  the  fire  as 
soon  as  they  were  aroused  ready  for  it.  There  was  just  a 
single  streak  in  the  eastern  sky,  which  showed  us  that  it 
would  soon  be  daylight,  and  we  knew  our  way  so  well 
through  the  grove  that  we  didn't  think  it  worth  while  stopping 
till  then.  We  carried  the  pot  on  a  stick  between  us,  and  as 
we  had  to  pass  among  the  trees,  of  course  we  could  not  do 
so  as  fast  as  if  it  had  been  daylight.  It  took  us  some  little 
time  before  we  could  reach  the  place  where  we  could  dip 
the  pot  in  and  get  the  water  pure.  We  filled  it,  and  set  off 
again  on  our  way  back.  We  had  just  reached  the  grove  of 
cocoanut-trees.  I  happened  to  look  up  at  the  hill  where  I 


3O3  Peter   Trawl. 

had  seen  Jack  the  morning  after  our  arrival,  when  I  saw 
against  the  sky  the  forms  of  well-nigh  a  c^en  savages. 

I  rubbed  my  eyes  for  a  moment,  as  I  at  first  thought  it 
might  be  fancy,  and  then  whispered  to  Jim  to  look  in  the 
ssitue  direction  and  then  tell  me  what  he  saw. 

*i 

'-  Savages,"  he  answered,  "no  doubt  about  that." 

"  Then  we  must  rouse  up  the  rest  and  be  prepared  for 
them,"  i'  said. 

We  ran  on  among  the  trees,  to  which  we  were  close, 
hoping  that  we  hadn't  been  seen.  Still  I  thought  that  the 
savages  must  know  that  we  were  on  the  island.  We  didn' 
like  to  abandon  our  pot,  though  we  spilled  some  of  the 
water  as  we  hurried  along.  Our  friends  were  still  fast 
asleep. 

"  Mr.  Griffiths  !  Dr.  Cockle  !  the  savages  have  landed 
and  are  on  the  hill  out  there,"  Jim  and  I  cried  out. 

They  started  to  their  feet  in  a  moment,  and  Jack  and  the 
rest  of  the  men  jumped  up  on  hearing  our  voices.  The 
mate  seemed  satisfied  that  what  we  said  was  true. 

"Then,  lads,"  he  said,  "  we  will  launch  the  boat  at  once ; 
we  must  at  all  events  avoid  a  fight,  and  we  can't  tell  how 
they'll  behave  if  we  remain." 

Jack  was  about  the  most  eager  to  get  the  boat  in  the 
water,  and  Horner  looked  not  a  little  frightened.  We  soon 
had  her  afloat,  and  then  as  quickly  as  we  could,  running 
backwards  and  forwards,  put  the  cargo  on  board. 

The  doctor  and  mate  were  still  on  shore,  seeing  that 
nothing  had  been  left  behind,  when  loud  shrieks  reached 
our  ears,  and  a  score  or  more  of  tattooed  savages,  flourishing 
their  war  clubs,  burst  out  of  the  grove  and  rushed  towards 
us. 

"  Quick,  doctor,"  cried  the  mate.  "  Get  on  board,  and 
I'll  follow  you."  . 

He   stood,  as   he  spoke,  with  his  musket  in   his   hand 


The  Lost  One  Found  at  Last.  309 

• 

pointed  towards  the  savages,  and  then  slowly  retreated, 
while  Dr.  Cockle  sprang  on  board.  We  had  our  oars  ready 
to  shove  off  as  soon  as  the  mate  was  safe, 

"  Come  on,  Mr.  Griffiths,  come  on,"  cried  several  others. 

The  savages  were  scarcely  a  dozen  yards  from  us  as  the 
mate  threw  himself  over  the  bows,  and  we  quickly  shoved 
the  boat  into  deep  water,  while  the  savages  stood  yelling  and 
heaving  stones  at  us  from  the  beach. 

Just,  however,  as  we  got  the  boat's  head  to  sea  we  saw, 
coming  round  a  point  to  the  eastward,  four  or  five  large 
canoes.  It  seemed  impossible  that  we  could  escape  them. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ESCAPE  FROM  THE  ISLAND  AND   THE  EVENTS 
WHICH  FOLLOWED. 


IVE  way,  lads  !  give  way  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Griffiths  : 
V.T  "  if  the  worst  comes  we  must  fight  for  it,  and  try 
to  save  our  lives,  but  I  want,  if  we  can,  to  avoid  fighting." 
The  men  bent  to  their  oars  ;  the  wind  was  ahead,  so  that  it 
was  useless  to  hoist  the  sail.  The  savages  on  shore  howled 
and  shrieked  as  they  saw  us  getting  off,  and  hurled  stones 
at  us.  The  big  double  canoes  came  round  the  point,  two 
more  appearing  astern.  They  were  close  on  a  wind,  and 
rapidly  skimming  the  water. 

"There's  an  outlet  from  the  bay  to  the  westward,  I 
marked  it  yesterday,  we  will  make  for  it,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths. 
The  canoes  were  to  the  eastward,  but  it  seemed  very 
doubtful  whether  we  could  reach  the  outlet  the  mate  spoke 
of  before  they  would  be  up  with  us.  We  pulled  for  our 
lives,  for  there  could  be  no  doubt,  from  the  behaviour  of 
the  savages  on  shore,  how  those  in  the  canoes  would  be 
inclined  to  treat  us.  While  the  mate  steered,  the  doctor 
and  I  got  the  muskets  ready;  the  rest  of  the  crew  were 
rowing,  Homer  helping  the  stroke  oar.  On  the  canoes 
came,  nearer  and  nearer.  We  observed  the  sea  breaking 
over  the  reef,  but  there  was  a  clear  channel  between  it  and 
the  shore.  The  savages  had  left  the  beach  and  were 
rushing  towards  the  point  which  they  knew  we  must  pass  ; 
probably,  as  we  supposed,  to  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 


Escape  from  the  Island.  311 

us  overtaken  and  massacred  As  the  mate  altered  our 
course  to  steer  for  the  channel,  we  found  the  wind  on  our 
starboard  bow ;  should  it  shift  a  point  or  two  more,  it  would 
come  right  ahead,  and  even  the  canoes,  though  they  sail 
closer  to  the  wind  than  any  ordinary  craft,  would  be  unable 
to  get  through  it ;  but  they  were  already  within  one  hundred 
fathoms  of  us,  and  coming  on  rapidly.  I  counted  seven  of 
them.  One  took  the  lead  of  the  rest,  and  was  coming  up 
hand  over  hand  with  us.  We  could  see  the  warriors  on  the 
raised  deck  dancing  and  leaping  and  flourishing  their  clubs, 
and  hear  them  shouting  and  shrieking  like  their  companions 
on  shore.  I  looked  anxiously  at  th&-  channel.  Soper  was 
pulling  bow  oar.  The  mate  told  Horner  to  take  it,  and 
directed  Soper  to  keep  a  look-out  for  reefs  ahead.  The 
leading  canoe  was  now  within  fifty  fathoms  astern. 

"Give  them  a  shot,  doctor,"  said  the  mate;  "but  fire 
over  their  heads.  It  will  show  them  that  we  are  armed, 
but  I  don't  want  to  kill  any  one." 

"  Ay,  ay  ! "  answered  the  doctor ;  and  shouting  to  the 
savages  to  make  them  understand  what  he  was  about  to  do, 
he  fired.  The  first  shot  seemed  to  have  ho  effect.  Still 
the  big  canoe  came  on.  We  were  as  far  from  the  passage 
as  we  were  from  them.  Our  men  were  straining  every 
nerve,  and  could  make  the  boat  go  no  faster.  The  doctor 
waited  till  I  had  reloaded  the  first  musket.  He  again  fired, 
still  aiming  high,  as  the  mate  told  him  to  do.  The  next 
instant  down  came  the  yard  and  sail  of  the  canoe.  The 
bullet  must  have  cut  the  slings  right  in  two. 

"It  was  a  chance  shot,  and  a  fortunate  one,"  said  the 
doctor,  as  he  saw  its  effect.  The  canoe  still  glided  on,  but 
the  next,  unable  to  alter  her  course,  ran  right  into  her, 
and  the  others,  also  coming  up,  were  thrown  into  confusion. 
Our  men  cheered  as  they  saw  what  had  happened.  The 
channel  was  reached  before  our  pursuers  could  get  clear  of 


312  Ptter  Trawl. 

each  other.  Then  on  they  came  again.  Before,  however, 
they  had  come  far,  the  wind  shifted  a  point  and  then  blew 
right  ahead.  First  one  lowered  her  sail,  and  then  another 
and  another,  while  we  pulled  through  the  channel,  Soper 
keeping  a  bright  look-out  for  sunken  rocks.  I  caught  sight 
of  the  savages  on  shore  rushing  along  the  beach,  but  we 
had  passed  the  point  before  they  had  gained  it,  and  there 
they  stood  shrieking,  shouting,  and  gesticulating  at  us.  We 
pulled  away  in  the  wind's  eye,  knowing  that  we  should  thus 
have  a  better  chance  of  keeping  ahead  of  our  pursuers. 
They  had  not  yet,  however,  given  up  the  chase.  We  saw 
them  at  length  coming  through  the  channel  urged  on  by  their 
paudles.  They  could  thus  move  but  slowly.  Once  outside, 
however,  they  might  again  hoist  their  sails,  and,  by  standing 
first  on  one  tack  and  then  on  the  other,  come  up  with  us. 

As  we  got  away  from  the  island  we  found  the  wind  blowing 
steadily  from  the  southward,  while  in  shore  it  still  came 
from  the  westward.  This  gave  us  a  great  advantage. 

"We'll  hoist  the  sail,  lads,"  said  Mr.  Griffiths,  "and  see 
if  a  whale-boat  can  beat  a  double  canoe." 

The  men,  who  were  streaming  from  every  pore,  gladly 
obeyed.  The  mast  was  set  up  in  an  instant,  the  sail  hoisted, 
and  "  Young  Hopeful?  as  the  doctor  called  our  boat, 
glided  rapidly  over  the  dancing  waters. 

We  had  made  good  way  before  we  saw  the  sails  of  the 
canoes  once  more  hoisted,  standing,  as  far  as  we  could 
make  out,  for  the  north-west 

Now  we  had  got  the  wind,  it  would  take  them  a  long 
time  to  come  up  with  us.  The  wind  was  too  fresh  to  allow 
the  oars  to  be  of  any  use.  We  trusted,  however,  to  the. 
good  providence  of  God  to  carry  us  clear.  All  that  we  could 
do  was  to  sit  quiet  and  hope  that  the  wind  would  continue 
steady.  We  could  see  the  canoes  in  the  north-east  hull 
down,  and  we  hoped  that  we  might  keep  ahead  till  night 


Escape  from  the  Island.  313 

should  hide  us  from  their  sight.  The  mate  said  he  was 
sure  that  they  would  not  then  attempt  to  follow  us  farther. 

"But,  I  say,  is  any  one  hungry?"  exclaimed  Homer. 
"  We've  had  no  breakfast,  you'll  remember." 

We  had  all  been  too  excited  to  think  of  eating,  but  the 
mention  of  food  excited  our  appetites,  and  the  mate  told 
the  doctor  to  serve  out  provisions. 

The  occupation  of  eating  assisted  to  pass  the  time,  and 
to  raise  our  spirits.  The  mate  told  us  that  he  and  the 
doctor  had  determined  to  steer  for  the  Pellew  Islands,  the 
inhabitants  of  which,  though  uncivilised,  were  supposed  to 
be  of  a  mild  disposition,  and  likely  to  treat  us  kindly. 
Even  had  we  intended  to  steer  for  Guam,  the  canoes  in 
that  direction  would  have  prevented  us  doing  so. 

From  the  PeUew  Islands  we  should  have  a  long  voyage 
round  to  Manilla.  When  once  there  we  should  be  sure  of 
finding  European  vessels  on  board  of  which  we  should  be 
able  to  obtain  a  passage  to  some  English  settlement. 
Every  now  and  then,  while  we  were  eating,  I  took  a  look  at 
the  canoes,  but  the  sight  of  them  didn't  spoil  my  appetite, 
nor  that  of  the  rest  of  us,  as  far  as  I  could  judge. 

"  They  are  getting  no  nearer,"  I  observed. 

"  Wait  till  they  come  about,"  said  Horner  ;  "  they'll  then 
be  up  with  us  fast  enough,  and  this  may  be  the  last  meal 
we  shall  ever  eat" 

"  Haul  in  the  slack  of  that,  you  young  croaker ! "  cried 
the  mate,  in  an  angry  tone.  "  You  would  like  to  make  the 
others  as  much  afraid  as  you  are  yourself." 

Horner  could  not  say  he  was  not  afraid,  for  he  looked  it 
The  breeze  freshened,  and  the  boat  made  good  way  in  spite 
of  being  heavily  laden,  standing  up  well  to  all  the  sail  we 
could  set.  For  another  hour  or  more  we  could  see  the  canoes. 

At  last  the  mate,  standing  up,  took  a  look  at  them  and 
then  cried, 


314  Peter  Trawl. 

"  Hurrah !  they  have  gone  about,  and  are  steering  for 
the  land." 

Just  as  the  sun  set  they  disappeared,  and  we  had  no 
longer  any  fear  of  being  followed.  The  mate  now  set  a 
regular  watch  ; — the  rest  of  us  lay  down  as  we  best  could 
along  the  thwarts,  or  at  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  with  some  of 
Jack's  matting  for  pillows.  We  were  rather  crowded,  to  be 
sure,  but  we  were  thankful  to  have  escaped  our  enemies, 
and  hoped,  in  spite  of  its  length,  that  we  should  have  a 
prosperous  voyage. 

Day  after  day  we  sailed  on.  Mr.  Griffiths  maintained 
good  discipline  among  us.  Everything  was  done  with  as 
much  regularity  as  if  we  were  aboard  ship.  He  got  us  to 
spin  yarns  and  sing  songs.  I  thus  heard  more  of  Jack's 
adventures  than  I  ever  since  have  been  able  to  get  out  of 
him.  He  corroborated  all  that  Miles  Soper  had  told  me, 
and  added  much  more.  Sam  Coal  told  us  how  he  had 
once  been  a  slave  in  the  Southern  States  of  America,  and 
made  his  escape,  and  being  followed,  was  nearly  caught, 
and  how  a  kind  Quaker  sheltered  him,  at  the  risk  of  his 
own  life,  and  got  him  away  on  board  a  ship,  where  he 
found  that  he  had  not  changed  much  for  the  better  in 
some  respects ;  but  then,  as  he  said, 

"  Dis  nigger  feel  dat  he  was  a  free  man,  and  dat  make 
up  for  all  de  rest." 

The  wind  was  fair  and  the  sea  cairn.  Our  chief  fear  was 
that  we  might  run  short  of  water,  so  Mr.  Griffiths  thought 
it  wise  to  put  us  upon  an  allowance  at  once.  Several  times 
flying-fish  fell  aboard,  which  we  didn't  despise,  although  we 
had  to  eat  them  raw,  or  rather  dried  in  the  sun.  If  we  had 
had  fuel  we  might  have  managed  to  make  a  fire  and  cook 
them,  but  in  our  hurry  to  get  off  we  had  come  away  without 
any  spare  wood. 

"  Never  mind,  lads,"  said  the  mate  ;  "  we'll  get  some  at 


Escape  from  the  Island.  315 

the  Pellew  Islands,  and  after  that  well  have  a  hot  meal 
everyother  day  at  least" 

Brown  was  always  on  the  look-out  with  his  harpoon, 
ready  to  strike  any  large  fish  which  might  come  near  us, 
but  they  seemed  to  know  what  we  were  about,  and  kept  at 
a  respectful  distance.  Now  and  then  a  shark  would  come 
up  and  have  a  look  at  us,  and  the  men  would  call  him  all 
manner  of  names.  One  day,  as  we  were  running  along  at 
the  rate  of  about  five  knots  an  hour,  we  saw  a  black  fin 
coming  up  astern ;  it  sheered  off  under  the  counter  and 
then  floated  up  abreast  of  us,  just  coming  near  enough  to 
show  us  its  wicked  eye.  It  kept  too  far  off,  however,  for 
Brown  to  strike  it,  or  it  might  have  paid  dearly  for  its 
curiosity.  At  last,  cocking  its  eye,  it  gave  a  turn  of  its  tail, 
and  off  it  went  like  a  shot,  followed  by  our  roars  of  laughter. 

"  Tend  on  it,  Jack  Shark  find  dat  we  not  going  to  make 
dinner  for  him  dis  day!"  cried  Sam  Coal,  "so  he  tink 
better  go  look  out  sumber  else." 

Such  were  the  trifling  incidents  which  afforded  us  amuse- 
ment and  assisted  to  keep  up  our  spirits.  It  was  trying 
work,  thus  to  sit  all  day  and  day  after  day  in  an  open  boat 
with  nothing  to  do,  and  unable  to  move  about  freely.  We 
were  very  thankful,  however,  to  be  favoured  by  such  fine 
weather. 

At  last  Mr.  Griffiths  stood  up  in  the  stern  sheets,  and, 
after  shading  his  eyes  for  some  time — for  the  sun  had 
already  passed  the  zenith,  said  quietly,  "Lads,  we  have 
made  a  good  landfall.  I'm  much  mistaken  if  we  have  not 
the  Pellew  Islands  in  sight  I  make  out  a  dozen  or  more 
blue  hillocks  rising  above  the  horizon.  Sit  quiet,  however, 
for  you  won't  see  them  just  yet.  We  shall  have  to  heave-to 
to-night  outside  the  reef  which  surrounds  them,  but  I  hope 
we  shall  get  ashore  in  the  morning." 

This  news  cheered  us  up,  for  we  were  beginning  to  get 


316  Peter  Trawl. 

somewhat  downcast,  and  some  of  us  thought  that  we  must 
have  passed  the  islands  altogether,  and  might  make  no 
other  land  till  we  reached  the  Philippines.  We  ran  on  till 
dark,  by  which  time  we  could  make  out  one  large  island 
and  a  number  of  smaller  ones,  some  to  the  northward  and 
some  to  the  southward,  with  a  reef  marked  by  a  line  of 
white  foam  surrounding  them.  As  it  would  be  dangerous 
to  attempt  looking  for  a  passage  through  the  reef  except  in 
daylight,  we  hove-to,  and  the  watch  below  lay  down — or 
"  turned  in,"  as  we  used  to  call  it — rejoicing  in  the  hope 
of  setting  our  feet  on  dry  ground  the  next  morning,  and 
getting  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions.  I  had  to  keep  the 
middle  watch  with  Jim.  I  took  good  care  not  to  let  my 
eyes  close,  for  we  were  at  no  great  distance  from  the  reef, 
and  I  knew  the  danger  of  being  drifted  on  it  Now  I 
looked  to  windward  to  make  sure  that  no  vessel  was 
approaching  to  run  us  down,  now  at  the  reef  to  find  out 
whether  we  were  drifting  nearer  it  than  was  safe.  After  a 
long  silence  Jim  spoke  to  me. 

"  There's  something  on  my  mind,  Peter,"  he  said.  "  I'm 
afraid  that  now  you  have  found  your  brother  Jack  you'll 
not  be  caring  for  me  as  you  used  to  do,  for  the  whole  of  the 
last  day  you  have  not  opened  your  lips  to  me,  while  you 
have  been  talking  away  to  him." 

"  Don't  let  such  an  idea  rest  on  your  mind,  Jim,"  I 
answered.  "  I  very  naturally  talked  to  Jack,  for  of  course  I 
wanted  to  hear  everything  he  had  been  about  since  he  first 
went  to  sea,  and  it's  only  lately  I  have  been  able  to  get 
him  to  say  much.  I  don't  think  that  anything  will  make 
me  forget  your  affection  for  me.  Though  Jack  is  my 
brother,  you've  been  more  than  a  brother,  and  as  brothers 
we  shall  remain  till  the  end  of  life." 

In  this  way  I  did  my  best  to  satisfy  Jim's  mind.  It 
hadn't  before  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  any  spice  of 


Escape  from  the  Island.  317 

jealousy  in  him,  and  I  determined  in  future  to  do  my  best 
to  prevent  him  having  any  such  feeling.  We  talked  on  just 
as  we  used  to  do  after  that. 

The  wind  was  light,  and  except  a  slight  swell  coming 
from  the  eastward,  the  sea  was  perfectly  smooth.  If  it 
hadn't  been  for  the  talking  I  should  have  found  it  a  hard 
matter  to  keep  my  eyes  open.  After  I  lay  down,  I  had 
been  for  some  time  asleep,  as  I  fancied,  when  I  heard  the 
mate  cry, 

"  Out  oars,  lads  !     Pull  for  your  lives  !" 

I  jumped  up  in  a  moment. 

The  strong  current  into  which  the  boat  had  got  was 
carrying  her  along  at  the  rate  of  five  knots  an  hour  towards 
the  reef,  over  which  the  sea  was  breaking  and  rising  up  in  a 
wall  of  white  foam. 

There  was  now  not  a  breath  of  wind,  but  a  much  greater 
swell  was  coming  in  than  before. 

We  all  bent  to  our  oars,  and  had  good  reason  to  be  thank- 
ful that  we  had  got  them  to  help  us,  for  a  sailing  vessel 
would  very  quickly  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  reaf, 
and  every  soul  aboard  lost. 

The  mate  headed  the  boat  off  from  the  shore  in  a  diagonal 
course,  so  that  we  hoped  soon  to  get  out  of  the  current. 
Sdll,  notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  we  appeared  to  be 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer  the  reef  as  the  current  swept  us 
along,  and  I  began  to  think  that,  notwithstanding  all  we  had 
gone  through,  we  were  doomed  to  be  lost  at  last  The  mate, 
however,  cheered  us  up. 

Daylight  soon  broke.  As  the  sun  rose  the  wind  increased, 
and  presently,  a  fresh  breeze  springing  up,  he  hauled  aft  the 
sheet,  and  with  the  help  of  the  oars  the  boat  moved  quickly 
along  till  we  got  out  of  the  current 

We  were  now  able  to  venture  close  enough  to  the  reef  to 
look  out  for  a  safe  opening.  At  last  we  found  one  a  little  to 


318  Peter  Trawl. 

the   southward  of  the  largest  island,  and  hauling  up,  we 
steered  for  it 

The  sea  broke  on  either  side  of  the  passage,  which  was 
large  enough  for  a  good- sized  vessel  to  venture  through. 
We  stood  on,  keeping  a  look-out  for  dangers  ahead. 

We  were  soon  inside,  where  the  water  was  perfectly  smooth. 
Seeing  a  snug  little  harbour,  we  ran  for  it.  As  we  approached, 
we  saw  a  number  of  natives  coming  down,  darkish-skinned 
fellows,  though  not  so  black  as  those  of  the  Caroline  Islands 
all  of  them  without  a  stitch  of  clothing  on  except  a  loin 
cloth ;  but  they  were  pleasant-looking,  and  we  saw  no 
weapons  among  them. 

The  mate,  however,  kept  the  muskets  concealed  in  the 
stern-sheets,  ready  for  use  in  case  they  were  only  acting 
treacherously,  and  should  suddenly  rush  down  upon  us  with 
clubs  and  spears.  Still,  as  we  got  nearer,  and  waved  our 
hands,  they  showed  no  inclination  to  attack  us,  and  made 
every  sign  to  let  us  understand  that  they  wished  to  be 
friends. 

We  therefore  lowered  the  sail,  and  pulled  the  boat  gently 
towards  the  beach.  On  this  they  came  down,  and  when  we 
jumped  out,  helped  us  to  haul  her  up.  There  was  one  man 
who  seemed  to  be  the  chief.  He  came  up  and  shook  hands 
with  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  doctor,  and  me,  and  then  ordered  six 
of  his  people  to  stay  by  the  boat,  as  we  supposed  to  guard 
her.  He  made  no  objection  when  the  mate  and  the  doctor 
went  back  to  get  the  muskets,  but  seemed  to  think  it  very 
natural  that  they  should  wish  to  be  armed  amongst  so  many 
strangers. 

The  other  people  were  in  the  meantime  making  friends 
with  the  rest  of  our  party.  The  chief  now  invited  us  up  to 
his  house.  It  was  built  of  trunks  of  small  trees  and  bamboo 
canes,  and  thatched  with  palm  leaves,  much  in  the  same 
style  as  the  huts  of  other  South  Sea  islanders,  though  of  a 


Escape  from  the  Island.  319 

fair  size.  It  was  also  very  clean,  and  the  floors  were  covered 
with  mats.  He  begged  us  to  sit  down  near  him,  while  he 
squatted  on  a  mat  at  one  end  of  the  room. 

As  we  could  only  talk  by  signs  we  didn't  say  much. 
Presently  a  number  of  girls  appeared,  bringing  clay  dishes, 
with  fish  and  fowl  and  vegetables.  As  soon  as  they  were 
placed  on  the  ground,  he  told  us  to  fall  to,  and  a  very  good 
meal  we  enjoyed,  after  the  uncooked  food  we  had  lived  on 
so  long. 

The  mate  made  signs  that  we  had  come  from  the  east- 
ward, and  were  bound  west  for  the  Philippines,  of  which  he 
seemed  to  have  heard. 

After  dinner  he  took  us  down  to  the  shore,  and  showed 
us  some  fine  large  canoes,  with  the  stems  and  sterns  well 
carved.  They  were  used  for  going  about  between  the 
islands,  but  I  don't  think  they  could  have  done  much  in  a 
heavy  sea.  Some  were  large  enough  to  hold  thirty  or  forty 
men.  He  then  had  a  look  at  our  boat,  and  seemed  to 
wonder  that  we  had  come  so  far  in  her. 

The  mate  explained  to  him  that,  though  she  was  shorter, 
she  had  much  higher  sides,  and  was  much  lighter  built  than 
his  canoes.  From  the  way  he  behaved  we  had  no  doubts 
as  to  his  friendly  intentions,  or  any  anxiety  about  the  men 
who  were  attended  to  by  other  natives. 

In  the  evening  he  gave  us  another  feast,  and  then  took 
us  to  a  clean  new  hut,  which  by  his  signs  we  understood 
we  were  to  occupy.  From  the  way  he  behaved  we  agreed 
that,  though  he  looked  liked  a  native  savage,  he  was  as 
civilised  a  gentleman  as  we  could  wish  to  meet.  The  rest 
of  our  party  were  billeted  in  huts  close  to  us,  and  from  the 
sounds  of  laughter  which  came  from  them  we  guessed  that 
they  and  their  hosts  were  mightily  amused  with  each  other. 
The  chief,  after  making  signs  to  us  to  lie  down  and  go  to 
sleep,  took  his  leave,  and  we  were  left  alone. 


32O  Peter  Trawl. 

"I  hope  our  fellows  will  behave  well,  and  not  get  into  any 
quarrel  with  the  natives,"  observed  the  doctor. 

"I  don't  think  there's  any  chance  of  that,  though  it  would 
be  a  serious  matter  if  they  did,"  answered  Mr.  Griffiths 

"If  you'll  give  me  leave,  sir,  I'll  go  and  speak  to  them," 
I  said.  "  I'm  sure  Jim  and  my  brother  Jack  will  behave 
properly,  and  so  I  should  think  would  Brown." 

"It  doesn't  do  always  to  trust  men,"  said  the  mate. 
"Just  tell  them  to  be  careful.  I  would  rather  that  we 
had  been  all  together,  but  it  won't  do  to  show  that  » e're 
suspicious  of  the  natives." 

I  accordingly  got  up,  and,  directed  by  the  sounds  I 
heard,  went  to  the  other  huts.  I  found  Jack  and  Jim  in 
one  of  them,  with  a  number  of  natives  sitting  round  them, 
examining  their  dresses  and  trying  to  imitate  their  way 
of  speaking. 

I  advised  them  to  let  their  friends  know  that  they  were 
sleepy,  and  wanted  to  lie  down.  As  soon  as  they  did  this, 
the  natives  got  up  in  the  politest  way  possible,  and  spread 
mats  for  them  at  one  side  of  the  room.  In  the  next  hut  I 
found  Miles  Soper  and  Sam  Coal.  I  s«id  to  them  what  I 
had  said  before  to  Jack  and  Jim,  and  I  then  went  on  to 
another  hut,  the  natives  in  each  behaving  in  precisely  the 
same  manner. 

When  I  told  the  mate,  he  was  perfectly  satisfied,  and  said 
Lhat  we  must  trust  the  natives.  We  were  not  mistaken. 
Early  the  next  morning  a  plentiful  meal  \vas  brought  us, 
and  during  our  stay  on  the  island  we  were  treated  with  the 
greatest  kindness  by  these  mild  ard  courteous  people. 
The  doctor  said  that  they  were  Malays,  though  very  unlike 
many  of  their  brethren  scattered  about  the  Indian  seas. 

Having  recovered  completely  from  the  effects  of  being 
cramped  up  so  long  in  the  boat,  and  the  unwholesome  food 
we  had  lived  on,  we  were  anxious  to  prosecute  our  voyage. 


Escape  from  the  Island.  321 

The  chief  looked  very  sorrowful  when  the  mate  told  him 
we  must  be  going,  and  that  we  should  be  thankful  to  him 
for  provisions  and  water  for  the  voyage.  When  he  told  his 
people,  they  brought  us  down  fowl  and  vegetables  enough 
to  fill  the  boat.  We  showed  them  our  hen-coop,  in  which 
we  could  keep  a  number  of  the  fowl  alive,  but  that  we 
wanted  food  for  them.  Off  they  ran,  and  quickly  came 
back  with  a  good  supply. 

By  this  time  we  could  understand  each  other  wonderfully 
well,  helping  out  what  we  said  by  signs.  The  chief  gave  us 
all  a  grand  feast  the  last  night  of  our  stay,  and  the  next 
morning,  having  shaken  hands  with  all  round,  we  went 
aboard,  and  once  more  put  to  sea.  The  natives  at  the 
same  time  came  off  in  their  canoes,  and  accompanied  us 
some  way  outside  the  reef;  then,  with  shouts  and  waving 
of  hands,  they  wished  us  good-bye. 

We  had  a  long  passage  before  us,  but  we  were  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  and  we  hoped  to  perform  it  in  safety. 
We  had  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  at  night,  for,  as  the  mate 
told  us,  there  were  some  small  islands  between  the  Pellew 
and  the  Philippines,  and  that,  he  not  being  certain  of  their 
exact  position,  we  might  run  upon  them. 

For  a  whole  week  we  had  fine  weather,  though,  as  the 
wind  was  light,  we  didn't  make  much  way.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  clouds  began  to  gather  in  the  horizon,  and  soon 
covered  the  whole  sky,  while  the  wind  shifted  to  the  north- 
west, and  in  a  short  time  was  blowing  a  heavy  gale.  The 
sea  got  up,  and  the  water  every  now  and  then,  notwith- 
standing our  high  sides,  broke  aboard,  and  we  had  to  take 
to  baling.  Night  came  on,  and  matters  grew  worse. 

We  all  had  confidence  in  Mr.  Griffiths's  skill ;  and  as  he 
had,  by  his  good  seamanship,  preserved  our  lives  before, 
we  hoped  that  we  should  again  escape.  At  length  he 
determined  to  try  his  former  plan,  and,  heaving  the  boat  to, 

21 


322  Pder  Trawl. 

we  cast  out  a  raft,  formed  by  the  oars,  and  rode  to  it.  The 
gale,  however,  increased,  and  seemed  likely  to  turn  into  a 
regular  typhoon. 

There  was  no  sleep  for  any  of  us  that  night ;  all  hands 
had  to  keep  baling,  while  a  heavier  sea  than  we  had  yet 
encountered  broke  aboard  and  carried  away  a  large  portion 
of  our  provisions,  besides  drowning  all  the  fowl  in  the  hen- 
coop. Most  of  us,  I  suspect,  began  to  think  that  we  should 
never  see  another  sunrise.  It  seemed  a  wonder,  indeed, 
that  the  boat  escaped  being  knocked  to  pieces.  Had  it 
continued  long,  we  must  have  gone  down.  Towards  morn- 
ing, however,  the  wind  moderated,  and  before  noon  we 
were  able  to  haul  the  raft  aboard  and  once  more  make  sail. 
But  there  we  were  on  the  wide  ocean,  with  but  scanty  pro- 
visions and  a  sorely  battered  boat. 

The  weather  still  looked  unsettled,  and  we  feared  that  we 
should  have  another  bad  night  of  it.  The  greater  part  of 
the  day  had  gone  by,  when  Brown,  who  was  at  the  helm 
while  the  mate  was  taking  some  rest,  suddenly  exclaimed, 

"  A  sail !  a  sail !    She's  standing  this  way." 

We  all  looked  out  to  the  northward,  and  there  made  out 
a  large  vessel  steering  directly  for  us. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

ON  BOARD  OUR  OLD  SHIP— HER   VOYAGE  THROUGH 
EASTERN  SEAS. 

'~~T*HE  doctor  awoke  Mr.  Griffiths  to  tell  him  the  good 
_L  news.  He  at  once  hove  the  boat  to.  We  sat  eagerly 
watching  the  stranger.  She  could  not  possibly  at  present 
see  us,  and  might  alter  her  course  before  she  came  near 
enough  to  do  so.  Her  topsails  rose  above  the  horizon, 
then  in  a  short  time  her  courses  were  seen,  and  then  her 
hull  itself  as  she  came  on  swiftly  before  the  breeze.  I  saw 
Mr.  Griffiths  several  times  rub  his  eyes,  then  he  stood  up 
and  looked  fixedly  at  her. 

"  Brown,"  he  said,  "  did  you  ever  see  that  ship  before  ?" 

"  Well,  I  was  thinking  that  the  same  sailmaker  cut  her 
topsails  that  cut  the  Intrepid 's ;  but  there's  no  wonder  in 
that,"  answered  Brown. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that  white  patch  in  the  head  of  her 
foresail  ?  "  asked  the  mate.  "  It  looks  to  me  like  one  we 
put  in  when  we  were  last  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  To  be 
sure  it's  where  the  sail  is  likely  to  get  worn,  and  another 
vessel  may  have  had  one  put  in  like  it ;  still,  the  Intrepid1  s 
foresail  had  just  such  a  patch  as  that" 

"What !  do  you  mean  to  say  that  she's  the  Intrepid 'I* 
exclaimed  the  doctor,  interrupting  him. 

"  I  mean  to  say  that  she's  very  like  her,  if  she's  not  her," 
answered  the  mate. 


324  Peter  Trawl. 

We  all  of  us  now  looked  with  even  greater  eagerness  than 
before  at  the  approaching  vessel. 

"  Let  draw  the  foresail,"  cried  the  mate. 

We  stood  on  so  that  we  might  be  in  the  best  possible 
position  for  running  alongside  the  whaler,  for  such  she  was, 
as  soon  as  she  hove  to. 

"  We're  seen  ! — we're  seen  !  "  shouted  several  of  our 
crew. 

We  waved  our  hats,  and  shouted. 

"  She  is  the  Intrepid  !  "  cried  Mr.  Griffiths. 

Presently  she  came  to  the  wind,  and  we,  lowering  our 
sail  and  getting  out  our  oars,  were  soon  alongside  her. 
There  stood  Captain  Hawkins — there  the  second  mate, 
with  many  other  faces  we  knew.  I  never  saw  people  look 
so  astonished  as  we  sprang  up  the  side,  while  our  boat  was 
hooked  on  and  hoisted  on  board. 

"  Why,  Griffiths  ! — Cockle  !  where  have  you  come  from  ?  " 
exclaimed  Captain  Hawkins.  "  I  had  given  you  up  for  lost 
long  ago." 

They  gave  a  brief  account  of  our  adventures,  but  there 
was  not  much  time  for  talking,  for  we  had  not  been  aboard 
five  minutes  before  all  hands  were  employed  in  shortening 
sail,  and  the  gale  came  down  upon  us  with  even  greater 
strength  than  on  the  previous  night  Had  we  been  exposed 
to  it  in  our  open  boat  there  would  have  been  little  chance 
of  our  escape.  We  had  thus  much  reason  to  be  thankful 
to  Heaven  that  we  had  got  aboard  in  time. 

There  being  plenty  of  sea  room,  the  Intrepid  was  hove 
to.  Even  as  it  was,  the  sea  broke  aboard  and  carried  away 
one  of  her  boats  and  did  other  damage.  She  had  been 
nearly  wrecked  on  the  reef  during  the  gale  when  we  were 
on  the  island;  and  Captain  Hawkins,  believing  that  we  had 
been  lost,  stood  for  Guam,  where  he  had  been  detained  for 
want  of  proper  workmen  and  fresh  hands.  Had  it  not  been 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  325 

for  this  she  would  long  before  have  been  on  her  homeward 
voyage. 

For  some  time  I  felt  very  strange  on  board,  often  when 
half  asleep  fancying  myself  still  in  the  boat,  and  the  air 
below  seemed  close  and  oppressive. 

The  mate  declared  that  he  had  caught  cold  from  sleeping 
in  a  bed  after  not  having  been  in  one  for  so  many  months. 

The  doctor  suggested  that  his  bed  might  have  been  damp. 
However,  the  gale  being  over,  the  sun  came  out  brightly, 
and  he  soon  got  rid  of  his  chifl. 

The  captain  took  no  more  notice  of  me  than  he  did 
before,  and  did  not  even  speak  to  Jack.  His  idea  was  to 
keep  us  at  a  proper  distance,  I  suppose.  He  had  heard, 
I  have  no  doubt,  of  our  adventures  from  Dr.  Cockle  or  the 
mate.  It  mattered  very  little  to  us,  though  I  was  afraid  that 
he  might  take  it  into  his  head  to  turn  Jack  out  of  the  ship  at 
some  place  or  other,  on  the  plea  that  he  did  not  belong  to  her. 

I  advised  my  brother,  therefore,  to  keep  out  of  his  sight 
as  much  as  possible,  especially  when  in  harbour.  Jim  and 
I  agreed  that  if  he  was  sent  ashore  we  would  go  also, 
wherever  it  might  be. 

"  So  will  I,"  said  Miles  Soper,  who  had  heard  us  talking 
about  the  matter. 

"  And  I  no  stop  eider,  and  den  he  lose  four  good  hands. 
He  no  like  dat,"  said  Sam  Coal. 

Brown,  hearing  from  Jim  of  my  apprehensions,  said  he 
would  go  likewise  if  the  captain  attempted  to  play  any 
tricks  of  that  sort. 

Three  days  after  the  gale  we  hove  to  off  three  small 
islands  surrounded  by  a  reef.  Brown,  Miles  Soper,  two 
Africans  and  the  New  Zealander,  the  second  mate  and  I, 
were  sent  on  shore  to  catch  turtle.  We  hauled  the  boat  up 
and  waited  till  the  evening,  at  which  time  the  creatures  land 
to  lay  their  egus. 


326  Feter  Traivl. 

Darkness  approached,  and  we  concealed  ourselves  behind 
some  rocks,  and  watched  for  their  coming.  Presently  one 
landed,  and  crawled  slowly  up  the  beach.  Sam  declared 
that  she  was  as  big  as  the  boat.  She  was  certainly  an 
enormous  creature.  Then  another  and  another  came 
ashore,  and  commenced  scraping  away  in  the  sand  to 
make  holes  for  their  eggs.  We  waited  till  some  thirty  or 
forty  had  come  ashore. 

"  Now  is  your  time,"  cried  the  mate ;  and  rushing  out, 
grasping  the  handspikes  with  which  we  were  armed,  we  got 
between  them  and  the  sea,  and  turned  them  over  on  their 
backs,  where  they  lay  kicking  their  legs,  unable  to  move. 
We  had  brought  ropes  to  assist  us  in  dragging  them  down 
to  the  water  and  hauling  them  on  board.  We  had  turned 
a  dozen  or  more,  when  I  said  to  Jim. 

"  We  mustn't  let  that  big  one  go  we  first  saw  land." 

She  and  the  other  turtles  still  on  their  feet,  had  taken  the 
alarm,  and  were  scuttling  down  the  beach.  We  made  her 
out  and  attempted  to  turn  her,  but  that  was  more  than  we 
could  do. 

"  She'll  be  off,"  cried  Jim. 

We  hove  the  bight  of  a  rope  over  her  head. 

"  Hold  on,  Peter ! "  he  cried ;  and  he  and  I  attempted 
to  haul  the  turtle  back,  all  the  time  shouting  for  help,  for 
she  was  getting  closer  and  closer  to  the  water.  At  last  in 
she  got,  dragging  us  after  her.  We  could  not  stop  her 
before,  and  there  was  very  little  chance  of  our  doing  so 
now. 

"  Let  her  go,  Jim,"  I  cried  out. 

"  We  shall  lose  the  rope,"  he  answered,  still  holding  on. 

We  were  already  up  to  our  middles  in  the  water. 

"  It's  of  no  use.  Let  go  !  let  go  ! "  I  cried  out,  "or  we 
shall  be  dragged  away  to  sea  ! " 

Supposing  that  he  would  do  as  I  told  him,  I  let  go  at  the 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  327 

same  moment,  when  what  was  my  dismay  to  see  Jim  dragged 
away  out  of  his  depth. 

I  swam  off  to  him,  still  shouting  loudly.  Presently  Soper 
and  Sam  Coal  came  up,  and  seeing  what  was  happening, 
dashed  into  the  water.  Our  united  strength,  however, 
could  not  stop  the  turtle,  and  Sam,  who  had  a  sharp  knife 
in  his  pocket,  drawing  it,  cut  the  rope,  and  we  got  Jim  back 
to  shore. 

The  mate  rated  Jim  for  losing  the  rope,  though  Brown 
and  the  rest  declared  that  he  had  behaved  very  pluckily, 
and  that  if  help  had  come  in  time  we  should  have  saved 
the  turtle.  As  it  was  we  had  turned  more  than  we  could 
carry  off. 

Having  been  ordered  not  to  attempt  to  regain  the  ship 
during  the  night,  we  turned  the  boat  up  and  slept  under  it, 
while  a  couple  of  hands  remained  outside  to  watch  the 
turtles  and  see  that  they  did  not  manage  to  get  on  their  feet 
again  and  escape. 

In  the  morning  we  loaded  the  boat,  and  pulled  back  with 
our  prizes. 

The  mate  said  nothing  about  the  lost  rope,  as  he  knew 
the  notion  Brown  and  the  rest  had  formed  of  Jim's  courage. 

We  sighted  after  this  several  small  islands,  and  then  made 
the  coast  of  New  Guinea. 

The  captain,  seeing  a  good  place  for  landing,  sent  a  boat 
ashore  with  the  doctor  and  most  of  us  who  had  been 
engaged  in  catching  turtle. 

It  seemed  a  beautiful  country,  with  magnificent  trees,  and 
birds  flying  about  in  numbers  among  them. 

"This  is  a  perfect  paradise,'"  said  the  doctor,  as  we 
approached  the  beach. 

Just  then  a  number  of  natives  came  rushing  out  from  the 
forest,  brandishing  clubs  and  spears.  They  were  the  ugliest 
set  of  people  I  ever  saw,  their  bodies  nearly  naked  and 


328  Peter  Trawl. 

tBeir  heads  covered  with  hair  frizzled  out  like  huge  mops. 
They  had  also  bows  at  their  backs,  but  they  did  not  point 
their  arrows  at  us. 

The  doctor  and  mate  agreed  that  it  would  be  folly  to 
land  amongst  them,  so  we  lay  on  our  oars  while  the  mate 
held  up  bottles  and  bits  of  iron  hoops,  beads  and  knives, 
and  a  few  old  clothes,  to  show  them  that  we  wished  to 
trade.  After  a  considerable  time  they  seemed  to  understand 
what  we  wanted,  and  some  of  them  going  away  returned 
with  numbers  of  stuffed  birds  of  a  delicate  yellow  with  long 
tails.  We  made  signs  that  only  those  who  wanted  to  trade 
must  come  near  us.  At  last  several  came  wading  into  the 
water  bringing  their  birds.  They  set  a  high  price  on  them, 
and  we  only  bought  a  dozen  or  so.  As  the  rest  of  the 
people  behaved  in  as  threatening  a  manner  as  before,  as 
soon  as  the  trading  was  over  we  pulled  off,  not  wishing  to 
risk  an  encounter  with  them. 

The  doctor  said  that  the  birds  were  birds  of  paradise,  and 
that  they  were  such  as  the  ladies  of  England  wore  in  their 
hats.  The  curious  thing  was  that  none  of  the  birds  had  feet. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  second  mate,  when  I  pointed 
this  out  to  him ;  "  they  say  that  the  birds  come  down  from 
the  skies  and  live  in  the  air,  and  as  they  never  perch, 
they  don't  want  feet  That's  why  they're  called  birds  of 
paradise." 

The  doctor  laughed.  "That's  a  very  old  notion,"  he 
remarked,  "  but  it's  a  wrong  one  notwithstanding,  and  has 
long  since  been  exploded.  They  have  legs  and  claws  like 
other  birds,  though  the  natives  cut  them  off  and  dry  the 
birds  as  these  have  been  over  a  hot  fire.  It's  the  only  way 
they  have  of  preserving  them." 

The  captain  said  we  were  very  right  not  to  land,  as  the 
natives  might  have  been  tempted  to  cut  us  off  for  the  sake 
of  possessing  themselves  of  the  articles  in  our  boat 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  329 

As  we  sailed  along  the  coast  the  country  seemed  to  be 
thickly  populated",  and  the  boat  was  frequently  sent  to  try 
and  land,  but  we  always  met  with  the  same  inhospitable 
reception.  The  moment  we  drew  near  the  shore  the  black- 
skinned  natives  would  rush  down,  apparently  to  prevent 
our  landing. 

This  was  a  great  disappointment,  for  the  captain  was 
anxious  to  obtain  fresh  provisions,  as  several  of  the  men, 
from  having  lived  a  long  time  on  salt  meat,  were  suffering 
from  scurvy.  Curiously  enough,  we,  who  had  been  in  the 
boat,  were  free  from  it.  At  one  place,  however,  we  traded 
with  the  natives,  and  bought  several  more  of  the  stuffed 
paradise  birds,  and  a  number  of  live  lories,  which  we  kept 
in  cages,  and  beautiful  little  creatures  they  were.  Our  hope 
was  to  carry  them  safely  home,  but,  either  from  improper 
food  or  change  of  climate,  they  all  shortly  died. 

Rounding  New  Guinea,  and  passing  the  island  of  Mysole, 
we  came  to  a  small  island  called  Gely,  at  the  south-east 
end  of  Gillolo,  lying  exactly  under  the  equator.  It  contains 
a  magnificent  and  secure  harbour,  in  which  we  brought  up. 
There  being  an  abundance  of  good  water,  and  trees  from 
which  spars  can  be  cut,  it  is  an  excellent  place  for  repairing 
damages.  The  second  mate  said  that  those  suffering  from 
scurvy  would  now  have  an  opportunity  of  being  cured. 

The  plan  he  proposed  was  to  bury  them  up  to  their  necks 
in  the  sand,  and  to  leave  them  there  for  some  hours.  The 
doctor  was  unwilling  to  try  the  experiment,  though  he  did 
not  deny  that  it  might  be  effectual.  Two  of  our  men 
suffering  from  the  complaint  were,  however,  perfectly  willing 
to  submit  to  the  remedy,  and,  our  boats  having  to  go  on 
shore  to  fill  the  water-casks,  we  carried  them  with  us. 
Holes  were  dug,  and  the  poor  fellows,  being  stripped  naked, 
were  covered  up  side  by  side  in  the  warm  sand,  leaving 
only  their  hea'.ls  above  the  surface,  so  that  they  could  not 


33O  Peter  Trawl. 

possibly  extricate  themselves.  The  captain,  I  should  have 
said,  approved  of  the  plan,  having  before  seen  it  tried  with 
success ;  but  the  doctor,  declaring  that  he  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  went  with  Jack  and  another 
man  in  an  opposite  direction.  Homer  and  I  had  charge 
of  the  watering  party.  The  stream  from  which  we  filled  our 
casks  was  at  some  distance  from  the  place  where  the  men 
were  buried.  I  undertook  to  see  to  the  casks  being  filled 
if  Horner  would  remain  by  the  men.  We  had  just  finished 
our  work  and  were  rolling  the  casks  down  to  the  boat  when 
Horner  came  rushing  up,  with  his  eyes  staring  and  his  hair 
almost  on  end. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  What  has  happened  ?  "  I  asked, 
thinking  he  had  gone  out  of  his  mind. 

"  I  can't  bear  it !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  It's  too  dreadful.  I 
couldn't  help  it." 

"What  is  dreadful?  What  could  you  not  help?"  I 
inquired. 

"  The  brutes  of  crocodiles.  Poor  fellows,"  he  stammered 
out  "  There  won't  be  a  bit  of  them  left  presently  ! "  and 
he  pointed  to  where  we  had  buried  our  poor  shipmates,  and 
where  he  ought  to  have  been  watching. 

The  men  and  I  set  off  running  to  the  spot.  A  dreadful 
sight  met  our  eyes.  The  body  of  one  man  lay  half  eaten 
on  the  sand.  A  huge  crocodile  was  dragging  off  the  other. 
He  had  dragged  it  under  the  water  before  we  could  reach 
the  spot.  We  could  do  nothing  but  shout  at  the  crocodiles. 
Horner  confessed  that  he  had  gone  to  a  distance  for  a  short 
time,  during  which  the  brutes  had  landed  and  killed  the 
two  men.  We  returned  very  sad  to  the  boat.  As  for 
Horner,  it  was  a  Icng  time  before  he  could  get  over  the 
horror  he  felt  for  his  neglect  of  duty.  Several  canoes  filled 
with  natives  came  into  the  harbour  from  Gillolo,  bringing 
potatoes  and  other  vegetables.  One  of  them  brought  a 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  331 

number  of  clam-shells  of  various  sizes.  One  which  we 
hoisted  on  board  weighed  four  hundred-weight,  and  WQ 
afterwards  saw  on  shore  one  which  must  have  weighed  a 
quarter  of  a  ton.  The  natives  use  them  as  tubs ;  I  saw  a 
woman  bathing  a  child  in  one.  The  meat  of  the  creature 
when  fried  is  very  palatable.  I  also  obtained  some  beauti- 
ful specimens  of  coral,  which  I  wanted  to  carry  home  to 
Mary  and  my  Shetland  relations.  I  bought  also  two  gallons 
of  nutmegs  for  an  old  file,  and  a  large  number  of  shells  for 
some  old  clothes.  The  harbour  swarmed  with  sharks, 
which  prevented  us  from  bathing.  We  here  cut  some 
splendid  spars  for  the  use  of  the  ship.  I  may  mention  that 
the  inner  harbour,  from  its  perfect  security,  has  obtained 
the  name  of  "Abraham's  Bosom."  Were  it  not  for  the 
sharks  and  crocodiles  the  place  would  be  perfect. 

All  the  crew  having  recovered  from  scurvy,  and  the  ship 
being  refitted,  we  once  more  put  to  sea.  The  weather  was 
delightful,  and  we  sailed  on  over  the  calm  ocean  with  a 
light  breeze. 

We  had  to  keep  a  constant  look-out  for  rocks  and 
reefs. 

I  can  assert,  though  it  is  often  denied,  that  when  passing 
under  the  lee  of  the  Spice  Islands,  the  scent  which  came  off 
from  the  shore  was  perfectly  delicious.  Whether  this  arises 
from  the  flowers  of  the  cloves  and  nutmegs,  or  from  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  I  cannot  determine. 

Though  we  generally  had  a  light  breeze,  we  were  some- 
times completely  becalmed,  on  which  occasions,  when  near 
shore,  we  ran  the  risk  of  being  driven  on  the  rocks  by  the 
currents,  and  more  than  once  we  had  all  the  boats  towing 
ahead  to  keep  her  off  them  till  the  breeze  should  spring  up. 
We  continued  our  course,  passing  to  the  eastward  of  Ceram 
and  Banda,  and  steering  for  Timor,  to  the  north-west  of 
Australia.  We  had  other  dangers  besides  calms  and  currents. 


332  Peter  Trawl. 

We  had  just  left  the  Serwatty  Islands  astern  when  the  wind 
dropped,  and  we  lay  becalmed. 

Though  there  was  little  chance  of  catching  whales,  we 
always  kept  a  look-out  for  them  from  the  masthead,  as  we 
could  stow  one  or  two  more  away.  We  were  most  of  us  on 
deck  whistling  for  a  breeze,  when  the  look-out  aloft  shouted 
that  he  saw  three  craft  stealing  up  from  behind  the  island  to 
the  eastward.  The  second  mate  went  up  to  have  a  look  at 
them  through  his  glass,  and  when  he  returned  on  deck  he 
reported  that  they  were  three  large  proas,  pulling,  he  should 
say,  twenty  oars  or  more,  and  full  of  men,  and  that  he  had 
no  doubt  they  were  pirates.  Those  seas,  we  knew,  were 
infested  with  such  gentry — generally  Malays,  the  most 
bloodthirsty  and  cruel  of  their  race.  Many  a  merchant 
vessel  has  been  captured  by  them  and  sunk,  all  hands 
being  killed. 

"  Whatever  they  are,  we  must  be  prepared  for  them ! " 
cried  Captain  Hawkins.  "  I'll  trust  to  you,  lads,  to  fight  to 
the  last ;  and  I  tell  you  that  if  they  once  get  alongside  us 
we  shall  find  it  a  difficult  job  to  keep  them  off.  We  will 
have  the  arms  on  deck,  Mr.  Griffiths,  for  if  we  don't  get  a 
breeze,  as  they  pull  fast,  they'll  soon  be  up  to  us." 

All  the  muskets  were  at  once  brought  up  and  arranged  in 
order;  our  two  guns  were  loaded,  and  the  armourer  and 
carpenter  set  to  work  to  sharpen  the  blubber-spades,  har- 
poons, and  spears.  We  had  thus  no  lack  of  weapons ;  our 
high  bulwarks  also  gave  us  an  advantage ;  but  the  pirates, 
we  knew,  would  probably  out-number  us  by  ten  to  one. 

However,  we  did  not  lose  heart;  Captain  Hawkins  looked 
cool  and  determined,  and  the  mates  imitated  his  example. 
I  didn't  think  about  myself,  but  the  fear  came  over  me  that, 
after  all,  Jack  might  be  killed,  and  that  I  should  not  have 
the  happiness  of  taking  him  home. 

As  the  pirates  approached,  uc  made  all  necessary  pre- 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  333 

parations  for  defending  ourselves.  Muskets  and  ammunition 
were  served  out  to  the  men  most  accustomed  to  firearms ; 
the  others  had  the  blubber-spades  and  spears  put  into  their 
hands.  The  two  mates  took  charge  of  the  guns,  which 
were  loaded  to  their  muzzles,  and  matches  were  got  ready 
for  firing  them.  The  doctor  provided  himself  with  a 
couple  of  muskets  and  a  sword.  The  captain  told  him 
he  must  not  run  the  risk  of  being  wounded,  as  he  might 
be  required  to  bind  up  the  hurts  of  the  rest  of  us.  He 
laughed,  and  said  that  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to 
drive  back  our  enemies  should  they  attempt  to  board  the  ship. 

The  pirates  came  closer  and  closer.  The  captain  looked 
anxiously  round  the  horizon,  for  though,  like  a  brave  man, 
he  was  prepared  to  defend  his  ship  to  the  last,  he  had  no 
wish  for  a  fight.  As  I  looked  over  the  sides  I  saw  some  cats- 
paws  playing  along  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  pirates 
by  this  time  were  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  astern.  Presently 
the  lighter  canvas,  which  had  hung  down  against  the  masts, 
bulged  out,  and  then  the  topsails  filled. 

"  All  hands  trim  sails  ! "  shouted  the  captain. 

The  breeze  came  from  the  eastward;  the  yards  were 
squared,  and  the  Intrepid  began  to  move  through  the 
water.  She  glided  on  but  slowly;  the  pirates  were  still 
gaining  on  us.  The  wind,  however,  freshened. 

As  we  watched  our  pursuers,  first  one  raised  a  mast  and 
a  long  taper  yard,  then  another,  and  they  were  soon  under 
all  sail  standing  after  us.  The  breeze  increased ;  we  gave 
a  cheer,  hoping  soon  to  get  well  ahead  of  them.  Still  on 
they  came,  and  it  seemed  very  doubtful  whether  we  should 
succeed.  I  believe  that  some  of  the  crew  would  rather 
have  had  a  fight  than  have  escaped  without  it 

The  pirates,  by  keeping  their  oars  moving,  still  gained  on 
us.  To  look  at  the  captain,  one  might  have  supposed  that  it 
was  a  matter  of  indifference  to  him  whether  they  came  along- 


334  Peter  Trawl. 

side  or  not,  but  our  cargo  was  too  valuable  to  risk  the  chance 
of  being  lost.  We  had  soon  studding-sails  rigged  below  and 
aloft.  Again  the  wind  dropped,  and  the  p'rates  were  now 
almost  within  musket  shot. 

"  We  will  slew  round  one  of  our  guns,  and  run  it  through 
the  after  port,  Griffiths,"  said  the  captain.  "  A  shot  or  two 
will  teach  the  rascals  what  to  expect  should  they  come  up 
to  us." 

Just,  however,  as  we  had  got  the  gun  run  out  the  wind 
again  freshened.  The  Intrepid,  deep  in  the  water  though 
she  was,  showed  that  she  had  not  lost  her  power  of  sailing. 
Though  the  pirates  were  straining  every  nerve,  we  once 
more  drew  ahead  of  them.  The  more  the  breeze  increased 
the  faster  we  left  them  astern,  and  by  the  time  the  sun  had 
set  we  had  got  fully  four  miles  ahead,  but  still  by  going  aloft 
we  could  see  them  following,  evidently  hoping  that  we 
should  be  again  becalmed,  and  that  they  might  get  up  with 
us.  During  the  night  we  continued  our  course  for  Timor. 
At  the  usual  hour  the  watch  below  turned  in,  though  the 
captain  remained  on  deck,  and  a  sharp  look-out  was  kept 
astern.  However,  as  long  as  the  breeze  continued  we  had 
no  fear  of  being  overtaken. 

It  was  my  morning  watch.  As  soon  as  it  was  daylight 
I  went  aloft,  and  saw  the  proas  the  same  distance  off  that 
they  had  been  at  nightfall.  I  told  Mr.  Griffiths  when  I 
came  below. 

"  The  rascals  still  expect  to  catch  us,"  he  said,  "  but  we 
must  hope  that  they'll  be  disappointed.  However,  we're 
prepared  for  them." 

For  some  hours  the  breeze  continued  steady.  Soon  after 
noon  it  again  fell,  and  our  pursuers  crept  closer  to  us.  It 
was  somewhat  exciting,  and  kept  us  all  alive,  though  it  did 
not  spoil  our  appetites.  The  whole  of  the  day  they  were 
in  sight,  but  when  the  wind  freshened  up  again  in  the  even- 


On  Board  our  Old  Ship.  335 

ing  we  once  more  distanced  them.  The  night  passed  as  the 
former  had  done.  We  could  not  tell  when  we  went  below 
what  moment  we  might  be  roused  up  to  fight  for  our  lives. 
I  for  one  did  not  sleep  the  worse  for  that. 

The  breeze  was  pretty  steady  during  the  middle  watch, 
and  I  was  not  on  deck  again  till  it  was  broad  daylight. 
The  second  mate,  who  had  been  aloft,  reported  that  the 
pirates  were  still  in  sight,  but  farther  off  than  they  were 
the  day  before,  and  the  breeze  now  freshening,  their  hulls 
sank  beneath  the  horizon,  and  we  fully  expected  to  see  no 
more  of  them.  We  sighted  Timor  about  three  weeks  after 
leaving  Gely,  and  in  the  evening  brought  up  in  a  small 
bay,  with  a  town  on  its  shore,  called  Cushbab.  Our  object 
was  to  obtain  vegetables  and  buffalo  meat. 

The  natives  are  Malays,  and  talk  Portuguese.  Nearly  all 
those  we  met  on  shore  carried  creeses,  or  long,  sharp  knives, 
in  their  belt,  which  they  use  on  the  slightest  provocation. 
Every  boy  we  saw  had  a  cock  under  his  arm.  The  people 
seemed  to  spend  all  their  time  in  cock-fighting.  They  are 
very  fond  of  the  birds,  which  are  of  enormous  size ;  con- 
siderably larger  than  any  English  cocks.  Being  unable  to 
obtain  any  buffaloes  here,  we  got  under  way,  and  anchored 
in  another  bay  some  way  to  the  west,  where  we  obtained 
twelve  animals. 

At  first  they  were  very  wild  when  we  got  them  on  board, 
but  in  a  few  hours  became  tame,  and  would  eat  out  of  our 
hands.  They  were  destined,  however,  for  the  butcher's 
knife.  Some  of  the  meat  we  ate  fresh,  but  the  larger 
quantity  was  salted  down  for  sea  stores.  The  unsalted 
meat  kept  for  a  very  short  time,  and  we  had  to  throw  a 
large  piece  overboard.  The  instant  it  reached  the  water 
up  came  two  tiger  sharks,  which  fought  for  it,  seizing  each 
other  in  the  most  ferocious  manner  possible,  and  struggling 
together,  although  there  was  enough  for  both  of  them. 


336  Peter  Trawl. 

After  leaving  Timor  we  steered  along  the  south-east  coast 
of  Java,  and  then  shaped  a  course  across  the  Indian  Ocean 
for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  wind  was  fair,  the  sea 
smooth,  and  I  never  remember  enjoying  a  longer  period  of 
fine  weather.  In  consequence  of  the  light  winds  our  passage 
was  lengthened  more  than  we  had  expected,  and  we  were 
running  short  of  provisions  of  all  sorts.  There  were  still 
two  casks  of  bread  left,  each  containing  about  four  hundred- 
weight 

"Never  mind,"  observed  the  second  mate,  "we  shall 
have  enough  to  take  us  to  the  Cape." 

At  length  the  first  was  finished,  and  we  went  below  to  get 
up  the  second.  It  was  marked  bread  clearly  enough,  but 
when  the  carpenter  knocked  in  the  head,  what  was  our 
dismay  to  find  it  full  of  new  sails,  it  having  been  wrongly 
branded  !  The  captain  at  once  ordered  a  search  to  be 
made  in  the  store-room  for  other  provisions.  The  buffalo 
meat  we  had  salted  had  long  been  exhausted,  part  of  it 
having  turned  bad;  and  besides  one  cask  of  pork,  which 
proved  to  be  almost  rancid,  a  couple  of  pounds  of  flour, 
with  a  few  other  trifling  articles,  not  a  particle  of  food  re- 
mained in  the  ship.  Starvation  stared  us  in  the  face. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
THE  VOYAGE  HOME,  AND  HOW  IT  ENDED. 

ON  hearing  of  the  alarming  scarcity  of  food  on  board, 
the  captain  called  the  crew  aft. 

"  Lads,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  hide  anything  from  you. 
Should  the  wind  shift  to  the  westward,  it  may  be  a  month 
or  more  before  we  reach  the  Cape,  so  if  you  wish  to  save 
your  lives,  you  must  at  once  be  put  on  a  short  allowance 
of  food  and  water.  A  quarter  of  a  pint  of  water,  two  ounces 
of  pork,  and  half  an  ounce  of  flour  is  all  I  can  allow  for 
each  man,  and  the  officers  and  I  will  share  alike  with  you." 

Not  a  word  was  said  in  reply,  and  the  men  went  forward 
with  gloomy  looks.  To  make  the  flour  go  farther  we  mixed 
whale  oil  with  it,  and,  though  nauseous  in  the  extreme,  it 
served  to  keep  body  and  soul  together. 

At  first  the  crew  bore  it  pretty  well,  but  they  soon  took  to 
grumbling,  saying  that  it  was  owing  to  the  captain's  want  of 
forethought  in  not  laying  in  more  provisions  that  we  were 
reduced  to  this  state. 

Hitherto  the  wind  had  been  fair,  but  any  day  it  might 
change,  and  then,  they  asked,  what  would  become  of  us  ? 
Most  of  them  would  have  broken  into  open  mutiny  had  not 
they  known  that  the  mates  and  doctor,  Jack  and  I,  Jim,  and 
probably  Brown  and  Soper,  would  have  sided  with  the 
captain,  though  we  felt  that  they  were  not  altogether  wrong 
in  their  accusation. 

13 


338  Peter  Trawl. 

I  heard  the  doctor  tell  Mr.  Griffiths  that  he  was  afraid 
the  scurvy  would  again  appear  if  we  were  kept  long  on  our 
present  food.  Day  after  day  we  glided  on  across  the 
smooth  ocean  with  a  cloudless  sky,  our  food  and  water 
gradually  decreasing. 

We  now  often  looked  at  each  other,  wondering  what 
would  be  the  end.  At  last,  one  night,  when  it  was  my 
middle  watch  on  deck,  Jim  came  aft  to  me. 

"  I'm  afraid  the  men  won't  stand  it  any  longer,"  he  said. 
"  They  vow  that  if  the  captain  don't  serve  out  more  food 
and  water  they'll  take  it.  I  know  that  it  will  be  death  to 
all  of  us  if  they  do,  or  I  would  not  tell  on  them.  You  let 
Mr.  Griffiths  know ;  maybe  he'll  bring  them  to  a  right  mind. 
They  don't  care  for  Jack  or  me,  and  Brown,  Soper,  and 
Sam  seemed  inclined  to  side  with  the  rest.  Jack  says 
whatever  you  do  he'll  do." 

"Thank  you,  Jim,"  I  answered.  "You  try  to  show 
them  what  folly  they'll  commit  if  they  attempt  to  do  as  they 
propose.  They  won't  succeed,  for  the  captain  is  a  deter- 
mined man,  and  there'll  be  bloodshed  if  they  keep  to  their 
purpose." 

Jim  went  forward,  and  I  took  a  turn  on  deck  to  consider 
what  was  best  to  be  done.  It  was  the  second  mate's  watch, 
and  it  had  only  just  struck  two  bells.  I  did  not  wish  to 
say  anything  to  him.  I  waited  for  a  little,  and  then  asked 
the  second  mate  to  let  me  go  below  for  a  minute,  for  I 
could  not  quit  the  deck  without  his  leave. 

"  You  may  go  and  turn  in  if  you  like,"  he  said.  "  There's 
no  chance  of  your  being  wanted  on  a  night  like  this." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  I  answered,  and  at  once  ran  down  to 
Mr.  Griffiths's  cabin. 

He  awoke  when  I  touched  his  shoulder,  and  I  told  him 
in  a  low  voice  what  I  had  heard. 

"You  have  acted  sensibly,  Peter,"  he  answered     "I'll 


The  Voyage  Home,  and  How  it  Ended.     339 

be  on  deck  in  a  moment.  When  the  men  see  that  we  are 
prepared  for  them  they'll  change  their  minds." 

I  again  went  on  deck,  and  he  soon  appeared,  with  a 
brace  of  pistols  in  his  belt,  followed  by  the  captain  and  the 
doctor,  with  muskets  in  their  hands. 

At  that  moment  up  sprang  from  the  fore  hatchway  the 
greater  part  of  the  crew,  evidently  intending  to  make  their 
way  to  the  after  store  room,  where  the  provisions  and  water 
were  kept. 

"  What  are  you  about  to  do,  lads  ?  "  shouted  the  captain. 
"  Go  below,  every  one  of  you,  except  the  watch  on  deck, 
and  don't  attempt  to  try  this  trick  again." 

His  tall  figure  holding  a  musket  ready  to  fire  cowed  them 
in  an  instant,  and  they  obeyed  without  uttering  a  word. 
The  captain  said  that  he  should  remain  on  deck,  and  told 
Mr.  Griffiths  and  the  doctor  that  he  would  call  them  if  they 
were  wanted. 

Some  time  afterwards,  going  forward,  I  found  Jim,  who 
told  me  that  they  had  all  turned  in. 

The  night  passed  away  without  any  disturbance.  As 
soon  as  it  was  daylight  the  captain  ordered  me  to  go  aloft 
and  take  a  look  round.  I  obeyed,  though  I  felt  so  weak 
that  I  could  scarcely  climb  the  rigging.  I  glanced  round 
the  horizon,  but  no  vessel  could  I  see.  A  mist  still  hung 
over  the  water. 

I  was  just  about  to  come  down  when  the  sun  rose,  and  at 
the  same  moment  I  made  out  over  our  quarter,  away  to  the 
southward,  a  white  sail,  on  which  his  rays  were  cast,  stand- 
ing on  the  same  course  that  we  were. 

"  Sail  ho  !  "  I  shouted  in  a  joyful  tone,  and  pointed  out 
In  the  direction  in  which  I  saw  her. 

The  captain,  immediately  I  came  down,  ordered  me  to 
rouse  up  all  hands,  and  every  sail  the  ship  could  carry  being 
set,  we  edged  do-vn  to  the  stranger,  making  a  signal  that  we 


340  Peter  TrawL 

desired  to  speak  her.  She  was  an  English  barque,  also 
bound  for  the  Cape. 

As  we  got  close  together,  a  boat  being  lowered,  Mr. 
Griffiths  and  I  went  on  board  and  stated  our  wants.  Her 
captain  at  once  agreed  to  supply  us  with  everything  he 
could  spare,  and  we  soon  had  our  boat  loaded  with  a  cask 
of  bread,  another  of  beef,  and  several  other  articles,  and  in 
addition  a  nautical  almanack,  for  we  had  run  out  our  last 
one  within  a  week  before  this.  We  had  a  second  trip  to 
make,  with  casks  to  fill  with  water.  As  may  be  supposed, 
we  had  quenched  our  own  thirst  on  our  first  visit  When 
we  again  got  back  we  found  the  cook  and  two  hands 
assisting  him  busily  employed  in  preparing  breakfast,  and 
a  right  hearty  one  we  had. 

We  kept  our  charitable  friends  in  sight  till  we  reached 
the  Cape,  by  which  time  we  had  expended  all  the  pro- 
visions with  which  they  had  furnished  us. 

In  a  few  days,  from  the  abundance  of  fresh  meat  and 
vegetables  which  we  obtained  from  the  shore,  our  health 
and  strength  returned,  and  I  for  one  was  eager  once  more 
to  put  to  sea,  that  Jack  and  I  might  the  sooner  reach  home. 
We  had  got  so  far  on  our  way  that  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  we 
were  almost  there.  We  were,  however,  detained  for  several 
days  refitting  and  provisioning  the  ship. 

Once  more,  however,  the  men  showed  their  mutinous 
disposition,  for  when  they  were  ordered  to  heave  up  the 
anchor  they  refused  to  man  the  windlass,  on  the  plea  that 
they  had  had  no  liberty  on  shore.  Though  this  was  the 
case,  there  having  been  work  for  all  hands  on  board,  there 
was  no  real  excuse  for  their  conduct,  as  they  were  amply  sup- 
plied with  provisions,  and  had  not  been  really  over-worked. 

"  We  shall  see,  my  fine  fellows,"  exclaimed  the  captain, 
on  seeing  them  doggedly  standing  with  their  arms  folded  in 
a  group  forward. 


The  Voyage  Home,  and  Plow  it  Ended.     341 

At  once  ordering  his  boat,  which  was  pulled  by  Jack  and 
Jira,  Miles  Soper  and  Brown,  he  went  on  shore.  He  soon 
returned,  with  the  deputy  captain  of  the  port,  who,  stepping 
on  board,  called  the  men  aft,  and  inquired  what  they  had 

to  complain  of.     As  they  were  all  silent,  Captain  McL 

made  them  a  speech,  pointing  out  to  them  that  they  were 
fortunate  in  being  aboard  a  well-found  and  well-provisioned 
ship. 

"  And,  my  lads,"  he  continued,  "  you  need  not  have  any 
fear  of  falling  sick,  for  the  captain  has  an  ample  supply  for 
you  of  anti-scorbutics." 

As  none  of  the  mutineers  had  a  notion  what  this  long 
word  meant,  they  were  taken  completely  aback ;  and  after 
staring  at  him  and  then  at  each  other,  first  one  and  then 
another  went  forward  to  the  windlass,  and  we  soon  had  the 
ship  under  way. 

Whenever  during  the  voyage  any  of  us  talked  about  the 
matter,  we  always  called  Captain  McL "  Old  Anti- 
Scorbutic."  I  felt  happier  than  I  had  been  for  a  long  time 
when  the  ship's  head  was  directed  northward,  and  as  we 
had  a  fresh  breeze  the  men  declared  that  their  friends  at 
home  had  got  hold  of  the  tow-rope,  and  that  we  should 
soon  be  there. 

On  running  down  to  St.  Helena  we  were  followed  for 
several  days  by  some  black  whales  of  immense  length. 
Sometimes  they  were  so  close  to  the  ship's  side  that  we 
might  have  lanced  them  from  the  deck.  The  fourth  day 
after  we  saw  them  the  second  mate  and  Horner  took  it 
into  their  heads  wantonly  to  fire  musket-shots  at  them. 
At  last  one  of  the  poor  creatures  was  hit,  when  it  dived, 
the  others  following  its  example,  and  we  saw  them  no 
more.  The  only  object  of  interest  we  met  with  crossing 
the  north-east  trades  was  the  passage  through  the  Gulf 
Stream,  or  Sargasso  Sea,  as  it  is  sometimes  called  It  was 


342  Peter  Trawl. 

curious  to  find  ourselves  surrounded  by  thick  masses  of 
seaweed  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  on  every  side,  so 
that  no  clear  water  could  be  seen  for  miles  away.  I  can 
compare  it  to  nothing  else  than  to  sailing  through  a  farmyard 
covered  with  deep  straw. 

The  first  land  we  made  was  Fyal.  Thence  we  ran  across 
to  Pico,  where  we  obtained  provisions  and  water.  If  we 
had  got  nothing  else  it  would  have  been  well,  but  the  crew 
managed  to  smuggle  on  board  a  quantity  of  new  rum,  the 
effects  of  which  were  soon  visible. 

Leaving  Pico,  we  shaped  a  course  for  old  England.  The 
wind  was  now  freshening,  and  all  sail  was  made,  as  the 
captain  was  in  a  hurry  to  get.  the  voyage  over.  In  the 
evening,  when  the  watch  was  called,  not  a  man  came  on 
deck,  every  one  of  them  being  drunk,  while  most  of  the  men 
in  the  other  watch,  who  had  managed  to  slip  down  every 
now  and  then,  were  in  no  better  condition.  The  captain, 
who  had  been  ailing,  was  in  bed.  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  doctor 
and  I,  Jim  and  Brown,  were  the  only  sober  ones.  The 
second  mate  evidently  did  not  know  what  he  was  about- 
Mr.  Griffiths  advised  him  to  turn  in.  I  was  very  sorry  to 
see  my  brother  Jack  nearly  as  bad  as  the  rest,  though  he 
afterwards  told  me  that,  having  been  so  long  without  spirits, 
they  had  had  an  unexpected  effect  upon  him.  We  sober 
ones  had  to  remain  all  night  on  deck,  running  off  when  a 
puff  of  wind  struck  the  sails.  It  was  a  mercy  that  it  didn't 
come  on  to  blow  hard,  for  we  could  never  have  managed 
to  shorten  sail  in  time  to  save  the  spars.  Indeed,  very 
probably  the  masts  would  have  gone.  Brown,  Jim,  and  I 
took  it  by  turns  to  steer  till  morning  broke,  by  which  time 
some  of  the  rest  of  the  crew  began  to  show  signs  of  life. 
As  we  got  into  northern  latitudes  a  strong  north-easterly 
breeze  made  the  weather  feel  bitterly  cold  to  us,  who  had 
been  for  so  long  a  time  accustomed  to  a  southern  climate. 


The  Voyage  Home,  and  How  it  Ended.     343 

During  all  that  period  I  had  not  worn  shoes.  For  the 
sake  of  warmth  I  now  wanted  to  put  on  a  pair,  but  my  feet 
had  so  increased  in  size  that  I  could  not  find  any  large 
enough  in  the  slop-locker. 

At  last  the  wind  shifted  to  the  south-west,  and  we  ran 
before  it  up  Channel. 

The  fiist  object  we  made  was  the  Owers  light-vessel,  about 
ninety  miles  from  the  Downs.  Having  made  a  signal  for  a 
pilot,  one  boarded  us  out  of  a  cutter  off  TJungeness.  How 
eagerly  all  of  us  plied  the  old  fellow. for  news,  though  as  he 
was  a  man  of  few  words  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  captain 
or  mates  could  pump  much  out  of  him.  We  remained  but 
a  few  hours  in  the  Downs  to  obtain  provisions,  of  which  we 
were  again  short,  and  thence  proceeded  to  the  Thames, 
where  we  dropped  our  anchor  for  the  last  time  before  going 
into  dock  to  unload. 

Jim  and  I,  although  we  had  been  kept  on  board  against 
our  will  and  had  never  signed  articles,  found  that  we  could 
claim  wages.  Though  I  had  no  reason  to  like  Captain 
Hawkins,  yet  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  wish  him  good-bye. 

To  my  surprise,  he  seemed  very  friendly,  and  said  that  if 
I  ever  wished  to  go  to  sea  again  he  should  be  very  glad  to 
have  me  with  him,  as  well  as  my  brother  and  Jim.  Poor 
man  !  he  had  made  his  last  voyage,  for  I  heard  of  his  death 
shortly  afterwards.  I  was  very  sorry  to  part  from  Mr. 
Griffiths  and  Dr.  Cockle.  They  invited  me  to  come  and  see 
them,  both  of  them  saying  that  they  never  intended  again 
to  go  afloat,  though  I  heard  that  Mr.  Griffiths  got  the  com- 
mand of  a  fine  ship  shortly  afterwards ;  so  I  supposed  that 
like  many  others  similarly  situated  he  was  induced  to  change 
his  mind  and  tempt  once  more  the  dangers  of  the  ocean. 

"We  will  meet  again,  Peter,"  said  Miles  Soper;  "and  I 
hope  that  if  you  and  Jack  go  to  sea,  we  shall  all  be  aboard 
the  same  ship." 


344  Peter  Trawl. 

Brown  said  the  same  thing,  but  from  that  day  to  this  I 
have  never  been  able  to  learn  what  became  of  him.  Such 
is  often  the  case  in  a  sea  life.  For  years  people  are  living 
on  the  most  intimate  terms,  and  separate  never  to  meet 
again  in  this  life. 

After  remaining  a  week  in  London  for  payment  of  our 
wages,  Jim  and  I  each  received  five-and-twenty  pounds,  Jack 
also  obtaining  nearly  half  that  amount.  Our  first  care  before 
we  set  off  for  Portsmouth,  to  which  we  were  eager  to  return, 
was,  our  clothes  being  worn  out,  to  supply  ourselves  with 
decent  suits  of  blue  cloth  and  other  necessaries. 

At  daylight  the  morning  after  we  were  free,  carrying  our 
bundles  and  the  various  treasures  we  had  collected,  a  pretty 
load  altogether,  we  went  to  the  place  from  which  the  coach 
started  for  Portsmouth,  and  finding  three  seats  on  the  top, 
off  we  set  with  light  hearts,  thinking  of  the  friends  we  should 
meet  on  our  arriving  there.  Jack  confessed  that  he  had 
forgotten  the  appearance  of  most  of  them,  though  he  longed 
to  see  Mary  and  to  give  her  the  curiosities  he  had  brought. 
We  had  a  couple  of  parrots,  three  other  beautifully  coloured 
birds,  a  big  basket  of  shells,  and  a  \qhole  bundle  of  bows, 
and  arrows,  and  darts,  and  a  lot  of  other  things. 

Rattling  down  the  Portsmouth  High  Street,  we  at  last 
dismounted  and  set  off  for  Mr.  Gray's  house,  where  I  fully 
expected  I  should  still  find  Mary  living.  As  we  walked 
along,  the  boys  gathered  round  us  to  look  at  our  birds,  and 
some  asked  where  we  had  come  from  with  so  many  curious 
things. 

"  From  round  the  world,"  answered  Jim,  "  since  we  were 
last  at  home,"  which  was  not  a  very  definite  answer. 

In  vain  we  looked  about  expecting  to  see  some  old 
acquaintances,  but  all  the  faces  we  set  eyes  on  were  strange. 
No  wonder,  considering  how  long  we  had  been  away,  while 
certainly  no  one  would  have  recognised  us.  It  was  not  quite 


The  Voyage  Homet  and  How  it  E.'.ded.     345 

an  easy  matter  to  find  our  way  to  Mr.  Gray's  house,  and  we 
had  to  stop  every  now  and  then  while  Jim  and  I  consulted 
which  turning  to  take,  for  we  were  ashamed  to  ask  any  one. 
At  last,  just  as  we  got  near  it,  we  saw  an  old  gentleman  in  a 
Quaker's  dress  coming  along  the  road.  He  just  glanced  at 
us,  as  other  people  had  done  ;  when  I,  looking  hard  at  him, 
felt  sure  he  must  be  Mr.  Gray.  I  nudged  Jim's  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  it's  he,  I'm  sure,"  whispered  Jim. 

So  I  went  up  to  him,  and  pulling  off  my  hat  said, 

"  Beg  pardon,  sir ;  may  I  be  so  bold  as  to  ask  if  you  are 
Mr.  Gray  ?  " 

"  Gray  is  my  name,  young  man,"  he  answered,  looking 
somewhat  surprised,  "  Who  art  thou  ?  " 

"  Peter  Trawl,  sir ;  and  this  Jim  Pulley,  and  here  is  my 
brother  Jack." 

If  the  kind  Quaker  had  ever  been  addicted  to  uttering 
exclamations  of  surprise  he  would  have  done  so  on  this 
occasion,  I  suspect,  judging  from  the  expression  of  astonish- 
ment which  came  over  his  countenance. 

"  Peter  Trawl !  James  Pulley  !  Why,  it  was  reported 
that  those  two  lads  were  lost  in  the  North  Sea  years  ago," 
he  said. 

"  We  are  the  lads,  sir,  notwithstanding,"  I  answered ;  and 
I  briefly  narrated  to  him  how  we  had  been  picked  up  by 
the  Intrepid  and  carried  off  to  the  Pacific,  and  how  I  had 
there  found  my  brother  Jack. 

"  Verily,  this  is  good  news,  and  will  cheer  the  heart  of 
thy  young  sister,  who  has  never  ceased  to  believe  that  thou 
wouldst  turn  up  again  some  day  or  other,"  he  said. 

"  Is  Mary  well,  sir  ?  is  she  still  with  you  ?  "  I  inquired, 
eagerly, 

"Yes,  Peter,  thy  sister  is  as  one  of  my  family.  Though 
greatly  pressed  by  her  newly-found  relatives  in  Shetland  to 
go  there  and  reside  with  them,  she  has  always  replied  that 


346  Ptter  TrawL 

she  was  sure  thou  wast  alive,  and  that  thou  wouldst  come 
back  to  Portsmouth  to  look  for  her,  and  that  it  would  grieve 
thee  much  not  to  find  her." 

"  How  kind  and  thoughtful !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Do  let 
me  go  on,  sir,  at  once  to  see  my  young  sister." 

"  Stay,  lad,  stay,"  he  answered.  "  The  surprise  might  be 
too  great  for  her.  I  will  go  back  to  my  house  and  tell  her 
that  thou  hast  returned  home  safe.  Thou  art  so  changed 
that  she  would  not  know  thee,  and  therefore  thou  and  thy 
companions  may  follow  close  behind." 

We  saw  Mr.  Gray  go  to  his  door  and  knock.  It  was 
opened  by  a  woman-servant,  who  I  was  sure,  when  I  caught 
sight  of  her  countenance,  was  Nancy  herself.  She  saw  me 
at  the  same  moment,  and  directly  Mr.  Gray  had  entered, 
came  out  on  the  doorstep,  and  regarded  me  intently. 

"  Yes,  I'm  sure  it  is  ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Peter,  Peter, 
aren't  you  Peter,  now?  I  have  not  forgotten  thy  face, 
though  thee  be  grown  into  a  young  man  ! "  and  she  stretched 
out  her  arms,  quite  regardless  of  the  passers-by,  ready  to  give 
me  such  another  embrace  as  she  had  bestowed  on  me  when 
I  went  away.  I  could  not  restrain  myself  any  longer,  but, 
giving  the  things  I  was  carrying  to  Jack,  sprang  up  the  steps. 

"  Here  he  is,  Miss  Mary,  here  he  is ! "  cried  Nancy,  and 
I  saw  close  behind  her  a  tall,  fair  girl. 

Nancy,  however,  had  time  to  give  me  a  kiss  and  a  hug 
before  I  could  disengage  myself,  and  the  next  moment  my 
sweet  sister  Mary  had  her  arms  round  my  neck,  and,  half 
crying,  half  laughing,  was  exclaiming, 

"  I  knew  you  would  come,  I  knew  you  would,  Peter ;  I 
was  sure  you  were  not  lost  1 " 

My  brother  Jack  and  Jim  were,  meantime,  staying  outside, 
not  liking  to  come  in  till  they  were  summoned.  Nancy  did 
not  recognise  them,  and  thought  that  they  were  two  ship- 
mates who  had  accompanied  me  to  carry  my  things. 


A   JOYOUS   MEETING. 


i'nge  346- 


The  Voyage  Home,  and  How  it  Ended.     347 

At  last,  when  I  told  Mary  that  I  had  not  only  come  myself, 
but  had  brought  back  our  brother  Jack,  she  was  eager  to 
see  him,  though  she  was  so  young  when  he  went  away  that 
she  had  no  recollection  of  his  countenance,  and  scarcely 
knew  him  from  Jim. 

Mary  had  let  me  into  the  parlour.  I  now  went  and 
beckoned  them  in.  Nancy,  when  she  knew  who  they  were, 
welcomed  them  warmly,  but  did  not  bestow  so  affectionate 
a  greeting  on  them  as  she  had  done  on  me.  Jim  stood  out- 
side the  door  while  I  brought  Jack  in.  Though  Mary  kissed 
him,  and  told  him  how  glad  she  was  to  see  him,  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  she  at  first  felt  almost  as  if  he  were  a  stranger. 

Mr.  Gray  left  us  to  ourselves  for  some  time,  and  then  all 
the  family  came  in  and  welcomed  us  kindly,  insisting  that 
Jack  should  remain  with  me  in  the  parlour,  while  Nancy 
took  care  of  Jim  in  the  kitchen,  where  he  was  much  more 
at  his  ease  than  he  would  have  been  with  strangers.  Jack, 
indeed,  looked,  as  he  afterwards  confessed  to  me  he  felt,  like 
a  fish  out  of  water  in  the  presence  of  so  many  young  ladies. 

Though  I  had  twice  written  to  Mary,  and  had  directed  my 
letters  properly,  neither  had  reached  her ;  yet  for  all  these 
years  she  had  not  lost  hope  of  seeing  me. 

After  supper,  Jack  and  I  were  going  away,  but  Mr.  Gray 
insisted  that  we  should  remain,  as  he  had  had  beds  arranged 
for  us  in  the  house. 

"  I  must  not  let  you  lads  be  exposed  to  the  dangers  and 
temptations  of  the  town,"  he  said  in  a  kind  tone.  "You 
must  stay  here  till  you  go  to  sea  again." 

Mary  at  once  wrote  to  Mr.  Troil  to  tell  'him  of  my  return, 
and  of  my  having  brought  my  brother  Jack  back  with  me. 

While  waiting  for  an  answer,  one  day  Jack  and  Jim  and 
I  were  walking  down  the  High  Street,  when  we  saw  a  large, 
placard  stating  that  the  Thisbe  frigate,  commissioned  by 
Captain  Rogers,  was  in  want  of  hands. 


348  Peter  TraiuL 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  but  what  he  was  my  old  skipper," 
observed  Jack.  "  And  you  fine  young  fellows  couldn't  do 
better  than  join  her,"  exclaimed  a  petty  officer,  who  was 
standing  near,  clapping  Jack  on  the  back. 

"  Why  I  think  I  know  your  face,"  he  added 

"Maybe.  I'm  Jack  Trawl.  I'm  not  ashamed  of  my 
name,"  said  my  brother. 

"  Jack  Trawl !  "  exclaimed  the  man-of-war's  man ;  "  then 
you  belong  to  the  Lapwing.  We  all  thought  you  were  lost 
with  the  rest  of  the  boat's  crew." 

"  No,  I  wasn't ;  Miles  Soper  and  I  escaped.  Now  I  look 
at  you,  ain't  you  Bill  Bolton  ?  " 

"The  same,"  was  the  answer.  "Tell  us  how  it  all 
happened." 

Jack  in  a  few  words  told  his  old  shipmate  what  is  already 
known  to  the  reader.  While  he  was  speaking,  who  should 
come  up  but  Miles  Soper  himself,  come  down  to  Portsmouth 
to  look  out  for  a  berth,  accompanied  by  Sam  Coal.  The 
long  and  the  short  of  it  was  that  they  all  three  agreed  to 
enter  aboard  the  Thisbe,  and  did  their  best  to  persuade 
Jim  to  follow  their  example. 

I  had  no  notion  of  doing  so  myself,  for  I  knew  that  it 
would  break  Mary's  heart  to  part  with  me  again  so  soon, 
and  I  feared,  indeed,  that  she  would  not  like  Jack's  going. 
Still,  taking  all  things  into  consideration,  he  could  not  do 
better  I  thought — for  having  been  so  long  at  sea,  he  felt, 
as  he  said,  like  a  fish  out  of  water  among  so  many  fine 
folks. 

Jim  made  no  reply,  but  drawing  me  aside,  said, 

"  Peter,  I  can't  bear  the  thoughts  of  leaving  you,  and  yet 
I  know  you  wouldn't  like  to  ship  before  the  mast  again ; 
but  if  I  stay  ashore  what  am  I  to  do?  I've  no  fancy  to 
spending  my  days  in  a  wherry,  and  haven't  got  one  if  I 
had.  I've  taken  a  liking  to  Jack,  and  you've  many  friends. 


The  Voyage  Home,  and  How  it  Ended.     349 

and  can  do  without  me,  so  if  you  don't  say  no  I'll  ship  with 
the  rest." 

I  need  not  repeat  what  I  said  to  Jim.  I  was  sure  that  it 
was  the  best  thing  he  could  do,  and  advised  him  accord- 
ingly. 

"  I'm  with  you,  mates,"  he  said,  in  a  husky  tone,  going 
back  to  the  rest,  and  away  they  all  went  together,  while  I 
returned  to  Mr.  Gray's. 

"I  wish  the  lads  had  shipped  on  board  a  peaceable 
merchantman,"  he  observed  when  I  told  him,  "  but  I  can't 
pretend  to  dictate  to  them.  I  am  glad  thou  hast  been 
better  directed,  Peter." 

Jack  and  Jim  came  to  see  us  before  the  ship  went  out  of 
harbour.  Jack  said  he  knew  that  he  must  work  for  his 
living,  and  that  he  would  rather  serve  aboard  a  man-o'-war 
than  do  anything  else. 

"  I'll  look  after  him  as  I  used  to  do  you,  Peter,"  said  Jim. 
"  And  I  hope  some  day  we'  11  come  back  with  our  pockets 
full  of  gold,  and  maybe  bear  up  for  wherever  you've  dropped 
your  anchor." 

A  few  days  after  this  a  letter  came  from  Mr.  Troil,  inviting 
Mary,  Jack,  and  me  to  Shetland.  Mary  was  very  unwilling 
to  leave  her  kind  friends,  but  Mr.  Gray  said  that  it  would  be 
to  our  advantage,  and  advised  Mary  and  me  to  go. 

He  was  right,  for  when  we  arrived  Mr.  Troil  received  us 
as  relatives.  Mary  became  like  a  second  daughter  to  him. 
I  assisted  in  managing  his  property,  and  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  Maggie,  to  whom  he  left  everything  he  possessed, 
became  my  wife,  while  Mary  married  the  owner  of  a  neigh- 
bouring estate. 

Some  few  years  after  a  small  coaster  came  into  the  Voe. 
I  went  down  to  see  what  she  had  on  board.  A  sailor-looking 
man,  with  a  wooden  leg,  and  a  woman,  stepped  ashore 

"  That's  him— that's  him  !  "  I  heard  them  exclaim,  and  in 


350  Peter  Trawl. 

a  moment  I  was  shaking  hands  with  Jim  and  Nancy,  who 
had  become  his  wife.  He  had  got  his  discharge,  and  had 
come,  he  said,  to  settle  near  me.  I  several  times  heard 
from  my  brother  Jack,  who,  after  serving  as  bo'sun  on  board 
a  line-of-battle  ship,  retired  from  the  service  with  a  pension, 
and  joined  our  family  circle  in  Shetland,  where  he  married, 
and  declared  that  he  was  too  happy  ever  to  go  to  sea  again. 


THE  END. 


A     000137889    2 


